Dmitry Bivol sees Artur Beterbiev as human and can be beaten like the other fighters he’s defeated during his career.
Whether Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) wants to admit it or not, Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) is different from the other fighters he’s fought in the past. This is going to be a much different fight from the best guys Bivol has fought during his ten-year career.
If he dismisses Beterbiev to be like all the rest, he could be in trouble on October 12th when they meet for the undisputed light heavyweight championship at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. WBA champion Bivol and IBF, WBC, and WBO champ Beterbiev will fight all the belts, with the winner being the King of the 175-lb division.
The Eddie Hearn-promoted Bivol is being given a heavy push to win this fight, but he may not happen. If Bivol, 33, loses, he’ll still be young enough to comeback from it and eventually capture another belt once Beterbiev retires or moves up in weight.
Given that Bivol is a finesse fighter who has shown vulnerability against big champions, it’s not a given that he’ll be able to take over the division once Beterbiev retires or moves on. There are a handful of punchers that could slide into the slot to take Beterbiev’s spot after he gives up his titles.
“Because I’ve been boxing since I remembered myself. I have to be the best version of me, and I can do it,” said Bivol to Pro Boxing Fans when asked why he believes he can defeat Artur Beterbiev. “I beat a lot of people before, and he’s also a human being. We’re all human beings. I can do it.”
Bivol looked irritable when talking about why he believes he’ll defeat Beterbiev, and there could be some insecurity on his part about it. If Bivol has doubts about his ability to win, that would explain his irritability.
He looked angry talking about it, but that won’t change anything. Bivol will need to figure out a way not to get hurt by Beterbiev, as he was in his fight against Lyndon Arthur last December and in his matches against Craig Richards and Joe Smith Jr.
“We’ll see in the ring what I’m going to do, but I believe I can [win]. It doesn’t matter what he mentioned. Now, I’m busy,” said Bivol when told that Canelo Alvarez said he wants to fight him next if he defeats Beterbiev. “We had time before more than a year to make a rematch, but now, I’m busy. If he really wants, he needs to talk to Eddie Hearn.
“He’s a very good fighter. He has a good future in the light heavyweight division. Yeah, why not?” said Bivol when asked about his interest in fighting David Benavidez.
There’s a good chance that Bivol will meet up with Benavidez sooner or later if he holds onto the titles. Benavidez is the WBC interim and mandatory. He’ll become Bivol’s responsibility if he’s victorious against Beterbiev.
“Best fight in boxing. Beterbiev is a beast. Dmitry Bivol is a masterpiece. He won against Canelo Alvarez so convincingly,” said Eddie Hearn to BoxNation. “This is a pure 50-50 fight, one that I believe Dmitry can win, but it’s going to be a very hard night’s work against an absolute monster.”
Hearn promotes Bivol, which would explain why he believes he’ll win this fight. However, he may lose, and that would be bad for Hearn because a second popular Matchroom fighter has bitten the dust recently. Anthony Joshua lost last Saturday night, and Hearn took the defeat pretty hard.
“For me, the two best light heavyweights in the world fighting for the undisputed championship. It doesn’t get any bigger.”
Beterbiev and Bivol might not be the two best fighters in the 175-lb division. Neither guy has fought Joshua Buatsi, David Benavidez, David Morrell, and Wily Hutchinson.
