Dmitry Bivol has to fight Beterbiev: he cannot run for 12 rounds

WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol will not defeat unified champion Artur Beterbiev on October 12 without standing firm and fighting. Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) will be unable to hold off Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) by turning the fight into a track and field meet for 12 rounds.

Beterbiev cuts the ring too well for Bivol to get away with the move, and he can't afford to exhaust himself by staying on the move for an entire fight. Bivol is 33 and not young enough to move for three minutes each round.

Bivol vs. Beterbiev will be broadcast live on DAZN PPV from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Oddsmakers see Bivol as the favorite due to his youth, boxing ability and the fact that Beterbiev is over a knee injury.

“It's a great fight for my career. Boxing fans want to see this fight,” Dmitry Bivol told talkSport about his fight against Artur Beterbiev. “It’s good that two fighters have different styles. It's interesting.

“Of course it helped my career to become better known. I gained a lot of boxing fans from that fight,” Bivol said of his fight against Canelo Alvarez in 2022. “It was a fight that represented a limit. If we pass, we can reach a new level.”

Luckily for the fans, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh was interested in staging the fight between Beterbiev and Bivol, as we might never have seen it due to the networks and promoters.

“After October 12th I have nothing left on my mind. Just this fight for the belts, and then we'll see. I knew this fight would happen sooner or later,” Bivol said of his fight against Beterbiev.

“This should be a classic. I described it as the light heavyweight version of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. “It shows how close they are and how well they fit together,” journalist Colin Hart told Pro Boxing Fans. “Beterbiev is a beast when he gets in that ring. He’s 39 and he shouldn’t be where he is at 39.”

Bivol doesn't fight like the version of Muhammad Ali who first fought Joe Frazier, and Beterbiev is completely different than Frazier. If anything, Bivol fights like a younger version of Vladimir Klitschko before he began training with Emanuel Steward.

When Wladimir was young, he was a combination hitter who moved around a lot. After Steward caught Wladimir, he added some crucial points. He became something like Lennox Lewis.

“He is undefeated with 20 fights and 20 knockouts. Bivol defeated Canelo. That gives you an idea of ​​how good he is. So flip a coin. I have to believe Beterbiev will win. It will be the first time he goes the distance,” said Hart.

It will be difficult for Bivol to last the entire 12 rounds against Beterbiev, as he has many bad habits that give him the opportunity to get knocked out. Bivol's habits:

• Fight off the ropes: Bivol often stands on the ropes and tries to cover up. That worked against guys like Canelo, Gilberto Ramirez and Lyndon Arthur, but I don't think it will work against Beterbiev.
• Throwing combinations: This is the biggest flaw in Bivol's game because he was a real hitter from day one. He likes to throw two to four punch combinations, sometimes even seven.

“His only strength is his ability. This is what will beat Beterbiev. He’s so skilled and so smart,” Hart said of Bivol. “It's astonishing to think that two Russians will be making the headlines in Riyadh. It gives you an idea of ​​how boxing today is different than it used to be.”

Bivol's skills may not be enough to stop Beterbiev, who will force him to fight at some point in the competition. He can't move the entire 12 rounds without getting up and taking turns with Beterbiev without risking losing a decision. The judges will not give Bivol automatic rounds if he fights defensively, as he did against Lyndon Arthur and Craig Richards. These fights were hard to watch because Bivol showed no heart.

“It’s a fight that people want to see. “I’m not saying people on the fringes of boxing are going to say the same thing because I’m pretty sure they don’t know too much about either,” Hart said.

Casual fans probably won't bother buying the Beterbiev vs. Bivol event on DAZN PPV. However, quite a few will be watching the film on ESPN+ if they have a subscription and come across it on October 12th.

Casual fans won't seek out the event as it involves foreign fighters and the undercard is mostly made up of British guys that even hardcore fans in the US won't have much interest in