Boxing
Artur Beterbiew vs. Dmitry Bivol in action tonight for Undisputed
Published
3 months agoon
Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev will fight for the undisputed lightweight heavyweight championship tonight at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. The fight is viewed as a boxer versus puncher, but it is actually a fight between two boxer-punchers to determine the top dog in the 175-pound division.
WBA lightweight heavyweight champion Bivol (23-0, 12 KO) has speed, mobility and the advantage of youth. Age may be a factor in this fight for 39-year-old Beterbiev as he is undergoing surgery on his right knee earlier this year. However, if he plays at the level he did against Callum Smith on January 13, Bivol will be in trouble. Beterbiev didn’t look vintage in this fight.
Tonight’s Beterbiev-Bivol fight will be broadcast live on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
“I like the rivalry between Eddie Hearn and Artur Beterbiev. Hearn knows the game and got people interested. He got under Beterbiev’s skin a little bit and showed us some venom,” said commentator Todd Grisham. Boxing of the highest order.
“Did Eddie Hearn upset him? Did he get under his skin? said Dev Sahni of Queensberry Promotions.
Beterbiev didn’t look furious when he asked Hearn why he talked so much about him during his recent press conference. He seemed more annoyed than anything else. Hearn often does this type of thing in an attempt to upset the players competing against his. He does this to support them, not just to pique fans’ interest.
“I think Beterbiev’s team bristles a little bit at the idea that it’s boxer versus brawler,” said journalist Chris Mannix. “We know Bivol is a very talented boxer, but Beterbiev’s team is right. He is an elite boxer in his own right. He is a two-time Olympian. He has a whole bunch of amateur medals.”
Fans see Beterbiev’s 20-0 record with 20 knockouts and naturally assume he’s a brawler, and he is. Beterbiev can box at times, but it’s a means to an end. He does this to prepare his opponents for strenuous shots that are meant to knock them out.
“He will touch you. He will regularly throw four- and five-punch combos. Artur Beterbiev has tons of boxing skills. At the same time, I think the 12 knockouts on Bivol’s resume are a bit misleading.
“I think he has more power than those 12 knockouts suggest. Bivol is the type of guy who rises to the level of competition.”
Bivol has good power, but rarely uses it because he always focuses on throwing quick combos and then moving away. He doesn’t position his legs to put weight on his punches. In Bivol’s last fight against Malik Zinadcaused a firestorm by landing 18 consecutive shots to the head, leading to the referee’s stoppage in the sixth round on June 1. Bivol had to land a lot of punches to get the knockout.
“They are both examples of Eastern European styles where you maximize your natural and physical capabilities,” coach Andy Lee said of Bivol and Beterbiev. “I look at the players to see if Beterbiev can make him turn around and back off. Will he be able to get him onto the ropes? What will he be able to do once he gets there?”
Bivol will withdraw if Beterbiev comes forward because that’s how he always fights. Bivol tends to give way when pushed by powerful punches because he doesn’t want to get hit. It will be intriguing to see what Bivol does when he runs out of real estate and is snapped up by Beterbiev. Will he fight or endure?
“With Bivol, I want to see if he can keep his hands up. Can he punch and make Beterbiev miss and then counter?” Lee said.
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Boxing
Manny Pacquiao Jr. he intends to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a professional
Published
10 hours agoon
December 28, 2024World Boxing News can reveal that Manny Pacquiao Jr. he is training to be able to compete in professional ranks in the future.
According to coach Marvin Somodo Manny Jr. he will follow in the footsteps of his legendary father Manny Pacquiao and become a prize fighter. Junior currently splits his time between home and Wild Card Gym under the tutelage of Somodo and Freddie Roach.
A former boxer, Roach rose to fame as Pacquiao Sr.’s trainer, earning him numerous world championships and a Hall of Fame career that may not be over yet. Despite being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in a ceremony scheduled for the summer, Pacquiao still hopes to face Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight crown in July.
WBN understands that Manny Jr. could appear on the undercard if the fight goes according to plan.
Discussing Junior’s progress, Somodo spoke exclusively to World Boxing News.
“Manny Jr. I just train every day, just like my other professional players,” Somodo explained to WBN. We hope to get him a fight soon, but the most significant thing is to keep improving him in the gym every day. The plan for him is to turn pro in the future and when I see he is ready. The plan is for him to become a professional boxer, but you never know.
When asked about Junior’s development, Somodo replied: “He’s doing really well. His work ethic is really good. You see him every day at the gym and you never complain. We spar with world-class players and he does well. His future depends on his performance once he turns pro. I believe he will cope, but time will tell,” he concluded.
Pacquiao Jr. he achieved mixed results in amateur competitions and suffered four defeats in a row. But his game may be better suited to professional fighters if he’s anything like his dad, an eight-weight world titleholder.
23-year-old Pacquiao Jr. time is running out and he must make a move within the next six months. This decision will coincide perfectly with the return of Pacquiao Sr. and will allow the pair to make history by fighting for the same stakes this summer in Las Vegas.
World Boxing News wishes all its readers, boxing fans and supporters of this sport a Merry Christmas.
The year 2024 was great again, with many huge fights and massive events taking place in the sport. Oleksandr Usyk ruled the year with two wins over Tyson Fury and won the WBN Fighter of the Year award for the second time in three years.
Saudi Arabia continued to be a force in the sport as streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime increased competition for DAZN’s original streamers.
Next year promises to be another essential year. Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 and David Benavidez .vs. David Morrell has already been confirmed to play in the spring. Mexican star Canelo Alvarez will review his Cinco De Mayo plans next month and add more to the schedule.
Boxing fans have a lot to look forward to, and WBN aims to bring you all the most essential news as we celebrate our fifteenth year in 2025. WBN will take a miniature break until December 27, when we will return to continue the work we started in 2010.
We wish everyone a special time during the holiday season and see you when the weekend begins.
Take care of yourself – Phil Jay, WBN editor-in-chief.
Before we come back, read some of our latest headlines.
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Gervonta Davis is wreaking havoc with her latest outburst
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Boxing
UFC heavyweight boxing fans want wins in FOUR seconds
Published
5 days agoon
December 24, 2024The UFC heavyweight flop, having lost two of his three fights in the company, made a spectacular return to the win column.
Cuban Robelis Despaigne, who caused disappointment among boxing fans by signing a contract with Dana White, may return to the market. Despaigne moved on to Karate Combat on December 19 and continued his astonishing KO record.
Before entering White’s octagon earlier this year, Despaigne scored his fourth consecutive MMA knockout victory in 37 seconds. “Substantial Boy” sent shockwaves through the striking side of combat sports, and it was expected that Despaigne would sign a contract with a boxing promoter to see how far his strength would take him.
The 36-year-old has little time to prove his worth in any other code after the UFC grabbed a ponderous hitter and then fired him. Despaigne won his UFC debut against Josh Parisian in just 18 seconds and went to the ground.
At six-foot-seven with an 86-inch reach, Despaigne had the longest arms in UFC history and was tipped to be a UFC title contender. There was hope then that Despaigne could follow Ngannou into boxing and make an impact.
However, his UFC career fell apart when he faced opponents with above-average preparation work. Two defeats to Austen Lane in October and Waldo Cortes-Acosta in May made White wash his hands of Despaigne.
WBN then speculated that a promoter from the United States could get Despaigne and accelerate his boxing career. Weeks passed and it seemed that Despaigne was damaged goods. Last week, he signed a contract with Dominik Jędrzejczyk at the Karate Combat 51 gala in Miami, Florida, still looking for an opportunity to make mega money.
Getting back to winning ways was imperative and Despaigne did not disappoint. He knocked out Jedrzejczyk within seconds, giving his last six KO victories in a total of 59 seconds. Despaigne landed one kick and one punch to achieve an unreal triumph in just four seconds. The knockout was the fastest in the history of Karate Combat.
Despaigne could push the boundaries of the sport if a boxing company is willing to take the risk, and perhaps he can do what Francis Ngannou did. Ngannou earned $30 million in two fights against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Oddly enough, the PFL may now be interested in fielding Despaigne against Ngannou next year. PFL’s gain would then be boxing’s loss.
Looking back at Kimbo Slice and his boxing performances, there was concern among boxing promoters. However, Despaigne could fight six or seven times a year to raise his profile and become a phenomenon. That is, if he can do what he has done in other combat sports, similar to boxers who also train.
It’s up to lesser-known promoters to make the decision, as no one at the top of the sport will want to get burned like the UFC.
What do they have to lose?
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