Unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev looks zoned in and powerful, training for the undisputed 175-lb championship against WBA belt-holder Dmitry Bivol on October 12th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Beterbiev’s relentless pursuit pays off
Beterbiev has been pursuing a fight against the seemingly reluctant Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) for years, and he’s finally got the matchup, thanks to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh making it happen. Interestingly, oddsmakers and casual boxing fans view Bivol as the favorite due to his hand speed and slight youth advantage.
The two fighters aren’t that far apart in age. Bivol turns 34 in December, whereas Beterbiev is 39. The difference is that Bivol’s game is built on hand speed and is beginning to show signs of slowing due to age.
With Beterbiev, his game is built on power, and he’s not shown any hints of losing it. He’s not a speed guy, so he’s not lost anything, even though he’s approaching 40.
Beterbiev’s Inside Game
Bivol is a fighter who strictly fights on the outside, throwing jabs and combinations. He has no inside game at all and looks like a fish out of water when he’s fighting close. When Bivol’s opponents get close, he immediately tries to pull away to get to the outside because he realizes that’s not an area where he’s comfortable.
In contrast, Beterbiev thrives on the inside, where he can fire off his power shots, which are thrown with knockout strength. His short arms can get lots of torque on his shots in close, and he doesn’t stop throwing. Unlike some fighters who want to clinch and rest close by, Beterbiev works the whole time on the inside.
In an uploaded video clip, Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) is shown shadowboxing with weights in his hands, throwing power shots with knockout intentions.
Iron sharpens Iron
Christian Mbilli and Artur Beterbiev working
Mbilli vs. Canelo is the slug fest we need in 2025 #boxing pic.twitter.com/MW13ArFJXx
— 112 Fighting Sports (@112FIGHTNSPORTS) August 12, 2024
