Lyndon Arthur picks Artur Beterbiev to beat Dmitry Bivol on Saturday night if he doesn’t age overnight since his last fight. He says he expected Beterbiev to get to Bivol at some point in the fight.
Lightweight heavyweight fighter Lyndon fought WBA champion Bivol (23-0, 12 KO) on December 23 last year in Riyad and lost by unanimous decision over 12 rounds. He also sparred with Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KO) in the past and saw the difference in strength between them.
Lyndon says Bivol didn’t hit as rigid as he expected going into their competition. He lost the fight against Bivol by scores of 120-107, 120-107 and 120-107. In the seventh round, Lyndon hurt Bivol with a left to the body, forcing him to retire. For the remainder of the fight after this round, Bivol appeared to fight less aggressively.
Lyndon, 33, says it would hurt him if Beterbiev hit him with 10-ounce gloves with either hand because he hits too rigid.
“When I was there with Bivol, I thought, ‘He’s not hitting as rigid as I thought he was,’” Lyndon Arthur said. Professional boxing fans about his fight with Dmitry Bivol last year, which took place on December 23. “I was able to defend a lot more punches than I thought.
“I was with both of them. I sparred with Beterbiev. It’s not the same as fighting, but the punches he throws to be able to take them with 10-ounce gloves at the pace he brings and the resilience with which he enters the ring will make it arduous for Bivol to keep him shut down.
“He definitely hits rigid with both hands in 10-ounce gloves, and hitting with 10-ounce gloves would be painful,” Lyndon said of Beterbiev.
It’s a shame that Lyndon never fought Beterbiev as it would have given him more room to compare him to Bivol. For now, he can only spar with Beterbiev with larger gloves and headgear.
“Bivol, it’s his shot combination, his distance and the way he gets into range. Before you know it, he’s there. Beterbiev is his tenacity and ability to move forward. He is very good at boxing. Because he knocks everyone out, everyone thinks he’s a striker, but he played for a long time in Russia’s amateur team.
Bivol jabs and quickly moves forward to fire two shots before retreating. Bivol almost always lands two punches and then retreats. It’s predictableand this may be one of the reasons why Lyndon was able to pick up on Bivol’s tendencies during their fight. It was always the same: jab, move forward, operate left-right combo and retreat. There is never any variation.
“He had a long amateur career. He’s seen many styles. He is very good at boxing. Yes,” Lyndon replied when asked if Beterbiev would beat Bivol. “But Bivol could headbutt him for 12 rounds. It could happen.”
When people watch Beterbiev, they see him attacking with rigid shots and hitting opponents with constant pressure. He doesn’t look like he’s boxing. He throws powerful arrows and tries to chop them up. But he boxes, jabs and sets up punches like a seasoned boxer.
Regular fans don’t see it, but they don’t know the sport well enough to see his skill. Even die-hard fans who are too inactive to watch Beterbiev’s entire fights to form the opinion that they are unable to see what he is doing.
“As long as Beterbiev still has something left in the tank and doesn’t get elderly overnight. If he doesn’t reveal his age, I believe Beterbiev will get it,” Lyndon said.
The only question mark from fans about Beterbiev is whether his right knee, which has undergone surgery, is 100% ready for the fight. He underwent surgery last May to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, so he doesn’t have much time for rehabilitation.
World 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
Kickboxer, 51-0, Floyd Mayweather by KO close to the WBC title
The 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.
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