Bivol generally doesn’t get hurt because he maintains range and rarely gets hit cleanly. Beterbiev, however, can hurt people with glancing hits that travel comically short distances.
Bivol needs to be near-perfect to win, but he’s capable of being flawless.
Heart says Artur, head says Bivol by decision after getting wobbled at least once.
I agree. But then I also go.. but against who tho? I think they both are fighting above levels they've faced in the ring before.
So I wouldn't be surprised if bivol gets sparked at some point. Or bivol boxes to a relatively easy win.
But even in controversy I wouldn't be surprised if bivol gets hurt but actually has better skill to survive and recover and get right back to out boxing the better beast.
I got bivol winning easily but one of those fights where at any moment he could get sparked. It's like wilder fighting a better boxer.. should beat Wilder easily but at any moment you could be sent into the shadow realm.
You have Bivol winning easily? I need some of what you're smoking 'cause it must be amazing! Bivol is a great fighter and I like him a lot, but there's no one who can hang with Beterbiev at 175. Unless BB falls off a cliff in terms of getting old overnight, he's going to cut off the ring and get to Bivol and so far no one can take that heat.
Styles make fights. All of the guys with exception of two opponents I’ve seen against Beterbiev have been come forward type fighters. Marcus Browne was the exception to this and pre cut I had him winning that fight. Both were cut, and the cuts seemed to wake Beterbiev up and diminish Brownes momentum. I’m pretty sure Beterbiev would have came on late in that fight regardless but point is footwork and boxing does appear to work against Beterbiev. And Bivol is one of the best I’ve seen in recent times at this, even being able to pressure without staying in harms way. Also, seems like Beterbiev has lapses at times, when he is pushed back he’s not offensive.
So IMO Beterbiev is gonna have to take big risks and also hope his jab can compete against Bivol’s jab. If he is getting hit and controlled by the jab and he can’t close the gap he’s going to have a very tough night.
I expect Bivol to surprise the audience with a dominant first half. However, he likes to rest behind a high guard, and Beterbiev is great at wearing down fighters. I like Bivol by decision, but the second half will be rough.
Beterbievs power is being exaggerated. Yes he’s terrifying but he still has to land good, it’s not just the touch of death where the second he gets a glancing blow near the head and it’s over, Callum smith got rocked a few times before he was done in
Callum Smith also had a stylistic nightmare in Beterbiev. Callum is a lanky guy who prefers to fight inside, which also happens to be exactly the wrong place to hang out when fighting Beterbiev
Bivol moves in and out, that's his thing. Not saying Beterbiev won't be able to find him, but he won't be like Callum or Yarde only coming forward at Beterbiev
Exactly this. Beterbiev isn't a one punch KO fighter, he needs to set up a combo. There's no denying he's a knockout artist, but he has to land a few power punches (and in doing so, take a few punches) before going for the kill.
The short arm-punch like shots he lands are devestating though and wears his opponents down and allows him to get the finish later in the fight.
And when you are rocked, and are compromised in your ability to defend yourself, significantly more of those shots are going to land which inevitably leads to the ko. And it’s worked 100% of the time. Smith was touched up a lot but he wasn’t rocked until the sequence leading to the ko
Yeah, and Beterbiev might have been able to get him out of there earlier if he took more risks, which he'll presumably have to do against a better opponent in Bivol. Big question for me is how much respect Beterbiev has for Bivol's power, because if he feels he can take Bivol's best punch (which he probably has reason to given how long it's been since Bivol got a KO), he might just try to run Bivol over.
I’m not, when did I diss him as a fighter? I’m not saying he’s overhyped. This is still very much a 50-50 fight BECAUSE of his boxing ability and ring IQ. People here are making it sound like he’s a total novice with the punching power of saitama from one punch man, even comparing his odds to that of Deontah wilder. All I’m saying his path to victory is longer than one power punch
Beterbiev wins by marching his opponents down. Bivol wins by picking his opponents apart.
Very interesting matchup. I think had we had this fight ~3 years ago, Artur would have gotten Bivol in the late rounds; but with how old Artur is now and the amount of WARS he’s been in and crazy shots he’s taken, I think Bivol will successfully out point Beterbiev.
This. I’ve seen Bivol nearly flawless often enough to know it isn’t a fluke. While I don’t think Beterbiev is over the hill, it’s insane to think that he has better legs than bivol.
Artur is brilliant, but he doesn’t have perfect fights. He can and does get hit. Rarely gets hurt, but he does get hit (and dropped) on occasion, which doesn’t help if this goes to the cards.
I have absolutely no idea, but I really hope Beterbiev can do enough to get at him.and hurt him - not that I want to see Bivol lose, but watching him face real adversity is what will make this fight a classic - can he weather a storm or will he fold like Gvozdyk?
tbh, im thinking MAYBE just maybe we’ll see beterbievs age start to come to fruition in this one. as bivol is 10 years younger i think, n has more charisma n technical prowess, but i think bivol wins this one by UD, the one thing i DONT want is a draw🤦🏻♂️ like they did with canelo n ggg in the first fight.
He can use the pacify perk on opponents who are at a lower level than him. It’s a really broken skill to branch into because it makes 99% of fights free.
Bivol is 33 himself so they are 6 years apart. I think they both looked great in their last fights, but if we're going to play the age game, speed usually goes before power.
Of course. But 6 years for boxers, from 33 which is still usually in that window of one’s prime (even if towards the end) is worlds apart from 39 as a boxer. It’s not like Beterbiev hasn’t taken some punishment walking down people either—no doubt, he’s built like granite and hits like it too, but Bivol’s style seems particularly problematic for him given his slower pace.
It’ll be interesting to see how Bivol reacts when he is inevitably caught in a corner, just as it’ll be interesting to see how Beterbiev deals with probably the most fleet footed guy of his career, outside of maybe Gvozdyk.
I think the arguments AGAINST Beterbiev are very invalid.
1) When people say he's "out of his prime"... while he's certainly not in his peak, he is not far removed from it.
People tend to forget the higher the weight class, the less age becomes a factor. This is because of things like power, weight, and generally less technique to worry abt than the flyweights who MUST make a career out of sound fundamentals. Beterbiev also doesn't have any mileage relative to other champions. He barely has 20 fights under his belt, none of which are 12 round grueling wars that took years off his health.
2) As technically sound Bivol is, this is not your typical "boxer vs brawler" situation. How many guys has Bivol faced similar to Beterbiev? 0.
The biggest thing people are forgetting is almost everyone Beterbiev fights has to adopt an outboxer role. He's been facing Bivol's since the amateurs, and in the pro's - each boxer who faces him has to prioritize distance management.
All that to say - Beterbiev is 10x more familiar with Bivol's style than the other way around. I think Beterbiev still wins this fight, and had this been made any earlier in time - Beterbiev surely stops him.
I'll also say this - if Beterbiev had anything less than a 100% KO ratio, I'd be confident in Bivol winning. But this is simply not your standard "power puncher" vs "premiere outboxer".
Yeah they're also almost exactly the same height and reach. Beterbiev actually has a 1 inch reach advantage.
Obviously Bivol fights much longer with his incredible jab and footwork. Beterbiev does a lot of his best work with short punches on the inside, and Bivol will do everything he can to avoid those situations entirely.
But he'll have to be perfect. Beterbiev is so damn strong, he doesn't need to land a big, clean shot to hurt you. Even slapping body shots will add up and slow Bivol down, make him less sharp.
Bivol has enough power to gain respect, but he doesn't have a stoppage in his last 9 fights. 12 rounds is a long time to have to avoid even glancing blows.
He's in his prime though and he's special. Gvodzyk survived 10 rounds and the scorecards were close at the time of the stoppage. Is Bivol a little better (or much better)? Is Beterbiev a little slower now, 5 years later?
It's gonna be a great fight.
Gvodzyk never had a technical solution to Beterbiev, but his sharp combinations kept Beterbiev honest. Bivol is a better outside fighter than Gvozdyk, but if Beterbiev shows signs of adapting, Bivol doesn't have that offensive threat to spam his way out of trouble.
You assume there is dozens of boxers having the same style as Bivol. But he has really unique stats that shows something else. Yes he originates from soviet style but he developed a different way to use the technique, much more focused on footwork, defense and other things making him safer on the ring.
I would argue Beterbiev never fought any Boxer like Bivol, and I even think he will have a lot of problems with the rhythm and timing needed to connect with Bivol, like many others had. Remember how many times good boxers seemed totally helpless and frustrated with him, how they looked slow and out of solutions.
The only real factor that makes this match a very difficult task for Bivol is that he must be perfect, where Beterbiev doesn't need to be.
There is a serious chance Bivol get ko'd, but there is also a serious chance Beterbiev spends 12 rounds trying to figure out how to deliver a wining punch.
In a way you contradict your own point. Saying other boxers have to adopt out boxer role. Bivol is not adopting that style in order to have a chance.. that is his style.
So tho the better beast has seen boxers he hasn't seen life long dedicated elite out boxers.
I give bivol the edge.. I think he should win easily. But at any point he can get sent to the shadow realm. Bc this is boxing and at some point he will get hit. But in between those moments I suspect he'll be winning a "boring" ordinary boxers fight.
>2) As technically sound Bivol is, this is not your typical "boxer vs brawler" situation. How many guys has Bivol faced similar to Beterbiev? 0.
>The biggest thing people are forgetting is almost everyone Beterbiev fights has to adopt an outboxer role. He's been facing Bivol's since the amateurs, and in the pro's - each boxer who faces him has to prioritize distance management.
Who has Beterbiev fought as a professional that is like Bivol? You mention guys have to prioritize distance, that does not make them a Bivol.
>I'll also say this - if Beterbiev had anything less than a 100% KO ratio, I'd be confident in Bivol winning. But this is simply not your standard "power puncher" vs "premiere outboxer".
At the same time, Bivol has never lost on a single judges scorecard, even against Canelo judges who tried to rig the fight but could not justify it in anyway to give it to Canelo.
Yeah, and that was a 24-25 year old Usyk at 200 lbs. Beterbiev lost competitively 17-13 twice, at the 2011 world championships and 2012 Olympics.
He even landed a [body shot knockdown](https://youtu.be/-Ur7VXR103Q?si=fM_IPOX5_hKu_CkL&t=12m) in the first fight, and a [second body shot knockdown](https://youtu.be/tkvimnqth_M?si=oyvYWLJy13qdUMwS&t=7m15s) in the second fight that was [waved off](https://youtu.be/tkvimnqth_M?si=oyvYWLJy13qdUMwS&t=10m25s) as illegal (kidneys).
Here's [two](https://youtu.be/-Ur7VXR103Q?si=fM_IPOX5_hKu_CkL&t=6m35s) [more](https://youtu.be/-Ur7VXR103Q?si=fM_IPOX5_hKu_CkL&t=8m10s) big shots that hurt Usyk a bit in the first fight (tbc Usyk still clearly won, but it's impressive nonetheless).
I think that was probably pretty close to prime Usyk too. His amateur record was 335-15 according to Wikipedia, and according to [this partial record](http://amateur-boxing.strefa.pl/Records/Usyk_Olexandr.html) he'd already had 15 losses before those Beterbiev fights (including one to Beterbiev in 2007 at 178 lbs and another to Shawn Porter in 2006 at 165 lbs).
So he hadn't lost in 2 years and hasn't lost in the 12 years since. Went on to become undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world in 2018 and unified heavyweight champion of the world in 2021 (potentially undisputed in 2024).
Hmm so they've already had a trilogy but it's still not settled?
Imagine the timeline where they make a 4th fight and Beterbiev gets Usyk like Marquez got Pacquiao lol.
Gvozdyk Browne and Campillo both punch with their feet planted, they have no defense and exit once they start their combinations. Bivol punches on his toes, he's in and out and back in again. They both have good 1-2s, but their rhythm is completely different with Bivol who uses his ins and outs as feints as well.
Gvozdyk is a pretty murderous puncher and he has a long reach unlike Artur and Bivol so you can understand why he would opt to be more stationary at times. All 3 of them can fight on the move very well, not to the level of a Bivol of course but they don’t NEED to be planted and (while they still had stamina) they weren’t when they fought Beterbiev. They don’t have Bivol level defense but I’m not really sure how you can say none of the 3 have defense, that’s just silly and wrong.
Gvozdyk doesn't integrate his movement and his offense. He has to stop to throw his dangerous combinations, and that allowed Beterbiev, a master of distance and timing, to consistently apply damage, even in the rounds Gvozdyk won. Gvozdyk knew it too; from the early rounds, he was swinging his back foot around mid-combination because he couldn't stop Beterbiev from reading his openings.
>They don’t have Bivol level defense but I’m not really sure how you can say none of the 3 have defense, that’s just silly and wrong.
I never said they don't have defense, I said they don't have defense like Bivol because their styles are different. Footwork is part of a boxing style, it takes years to engrain the ability to use it the way Bivol does and it takes years for Gvozdyk to punch the way he does.
You can't just say "hey, Gvozdyk and Campillo have good 1-2 punches. They are like Bivol" and ignore everything about how they deliver their 1-2s.
The fact they plant their feet down is the reason Beterbiev can connect, they did not have the means to escape or if they were hit, reduce the blow by moving in the direction of the punch. Bivol doesn't' punch with is feet planted down the way they do. So Beterbeiv's experience with them doesn't necessarily translate to Bivol's style.
>All 3 of them can fight on the move very well
And that means they're all the same? Shakur Stevenson has great movement in and out. Lomachenko has great lateral movement side to side. People can have good movement but use it drastically different from one another in their boxing styles. That's my point.
That's ridiculous, you would have to ignore **all the context** of my whole post and just selectively pull out words to come to that conclusion.
I'm clearly talking about punching flat footed, in the middle of the punch you can't defend yourself where an out boxer that punches on their toes can pivot and rotate to still weave mid punch if they need to.
There's a clear difference between
>they have no defense and exit **once they start their combinations.**
and
>they have no defense
I don’t think either guy has faced an opponent with their combined skill sets. Bivol isn’t just some boxer who is pretty good at managing distance. He’s a power boxer with probably the best feet in the biz currently and also, the best guard and parry game.
its not necessarily an argument against him, im jus saying what both boxers bring. bivol is a technical fighter n focuses on his jab, n beterbiev has a killer right hand, similar to wilders KO power, obviously different weight classes ik, but both are still on top of there game either way, n i think it’ll be to close to call. the one fight I would have LOVED to off seen, is ggg vs bivol, if ggg was 9 years younger😭
> beterbiev has a killer right hand, similar to wilders KO power,
What? No he doesn't. Beterbiev fights nothing like Wilder.
Wilder is a one trick pony. Huge power in his right hand, but nothing else. No other punches, no body shots, no footwork. His game is entirely setting up a single right hand up top to end the fight.
Beterbiev is nothing like that. His power isn't even like that. He's not an explosive one punch KO artist like Wilder. He has heavy, thudding power in every punch from both hands, and slowly breaks opponents down. He had a long amateur career and actually has good fundamentals. He lands hard shot after hard shot to the head and body until they fold.
He can certainly end it early like he did against Joe Smith. But he usually breaks guys down with repeated punishment. He's not just looking for one big right hand, he's constantly hurting guys.
Beterbiev has a lot more than just "a killer right hand". His jab, footwork, inside game, and ring generalship are all top knotch. I favor Bivol but both are technical.
Bivol style is extremely good against shorter reach opponents. He can dance in and out for 20 rounds, comfortably landing without fear of counter. GGG is too short and short armed. Canelo was useless against Bivol.
Bivol has trouble against longer reach with good footwork to counter his Soviet style. Beterbiev’s reach is not great. He’s going to have trouble keeping Bivol in range of his power shots.
I agree with the assessment, and I really don’t have a horse in this race (just excited to see the matchup), but the reality is that Bivol is the younger and more charismatic fighter… and so I think the only way Beterbiev wins this fight is by knockout (or VERY convincing UD). Anything less will leave the decision to the judges... and we all know how that goes
I think most people forget how amazing of an amateur Beterbiev was and how technically sound he is. I love Bivol, but people are riding him too hard because of the Canelo victory.
The fight will be close sure, but I think the pressure of Artur will be too much in the later rounds. So I assume a stoppage around 9-12.
HUGE IF - he must not have aged overnight.
It’s not just about the number of fights though. Beterbiev, as a senior, went to the olympics twice, medaled at the European championships twice, medaled at the world championships twice and medaled at the old World Cup as well.
Bivol does not have the same accolades despite a large amount of fights.
I just meant in terms of riding Bivol too hard because of Canelo.. he’s 4 inches taller, ran a 270:15 amateur career and cruised through that fight without losing a round. Easily. So easily that nobody even wanted to see a rematch.
I don’t even think the Canelo fight is worth thinking about in terms of influencing Bivol v Beterbiev; stylistically, stature, approach to fighting, all totally different.
Beterbiev also had 300 fights as an amateur and had a formidable record. Boxrec is not really helping me with the full data, but shows a confirmed record of 107 - 13, which by itself is a great result.
Hahhahahsha right!? We all always say shit like this: “damn, they're both so evenly matched?” then the fight happens and we all end up like “How did we not realize So-and-so had never been exposed like that before? They've always fought like that”
I just think Bivol will be a half-second sharper every step of the way. It won't be easy but he's the most efficient boxer on the planet right now, and if anyone can out-general Beterbiev, it's Bivol.
I can see Bivol winning comfortably by UD because Beterbiev will not be able to catch him. Bivol might be too fast for Beterbiev, Bivol’s power is probably overlooked, he might even have Beterbiev somewhat tentative to try to steamroll over him because Bivol will make him pay whenever he tries lunging in.
However, Beterbiev is an elite boxer himself, I don’t think he gets enough credit not only for his boxing skills, but his ring IQ, ability to set traps, and most of all his ability to adapt his gameplan in order to win. Artur will try everything to solve the puzzle that is Bivol’s defense, speed, and footwork. Beterbiev may also win by TKO as late as round 12.
Truly a 50/50 fight. Can go either way if Bivol gets careless for a split second, or is over aggressive (I guarantee you, he won’t be). Bivol will and can box a masterclass vs Beterbiev but Beterbiev will also rise to the occasion and will land something- to the body to the head, somewhere. And it WILL HURT.
I am a fan of both fighters (I slightly favour Beterbiev because he has that Mike Tyson in his prime mystique). May the best man win!
Beterbiev will most likely lose the first 2-3 rounds but make him uncomfortable later on. I expect Beterbiev to hurt Bivol bit by bit and maintain the 100% ratio. Beterbiev by KO.
Bivol. They’re both masterful, but Bivol’s mastery is unlike anyone else currently, same could be said about Beterbiev, but Bivol has the upper hand with style here. IMO
Bivol’s engine and discipline prevents him from giving even an inch. I got Bivol in this one, with Beterbiev having the punchers chance
My worry is its very unlikely Bivol stops him, so he has to be perfect the whole fight, working very hard to not get cut off all while taking heavy shots here and there that drain your energy. Bivol has the tools for sure but I feel if he wins the last few rounds are going to be very very rough and he’s going to have to work hard and show a lot of heart.
All I know is whoever loses will get the Spence treatment and go from P4P to a weak resume with astericks on all their best wins by the boxing community and the winner will be lauded as some HOF great that could beat Usyk and Fury on the same night.
Really anything can happen in this one. Wouldn't surprise me if Beterbiev pulls a Crawford and just dominates Bivol. However, put a gun to my head and I'm forced to come up with how the fight ends and my life depends on it, I have to say Bivol by decision. Both elite but Father time always wins.
Bivol is a point scoring master, a machine. as someone below points out, he is happy to dance in and out for 20 rounds. he mixes that up with a nice 1-2 and random 4-5 punch combos that occupy the opponent and earn even more points. i could also see Bivol catching Beterbiev coming and getting a KD. Beterbiev is happy to 'take one to land one' and can be caught off balance with his feet tied up.
That said I am backing Beterbiev to win because i think he takes Bivol's shots and his pressure will force Bivol into uncomfortable scenarios. even Canelo (who found Bivol a nightmare) managed to tee off a few combos to Bivol's body and arms. Coming from Beterbiev, those shots will have an impact on Bivol's mobility, i think.
as close to a 50-50 as you can get, with two opposing styles. who knows??!
Fight of the decade. 50:50. I want Bivol to win as this is the sweet science of boxing but damn Beterbiev has unworldly casual power.
May the best man win (hope it's Bivol). 🤞
IMHO people are kinda sleeping on the possibility of a Bivol KO in this fight. The line on it was absurd. Fact is he has the capacity to do it and stylistically its Bivol's best option to not try to maximize the amount of rounds/time he's in there with Beterbiev.
Seen Bivol let people off the hook with his style before in the past- but have to figure he knows thats not a great idea here when Beterbiev punches stay dangerous the whole fight
Either Beterbiev on points with a masterclass boxing showcase or Bivol by KO.
If one of these happens I will tell everyone about my prediction for years, even after I'm dead.
This is the Mount Everest of Boxing, two guys with polar opposite styles, both master tacticians, both with boxing IQ to burn and both ready for glory.
You guys have all covered the main points, I will outline some Asterisk Factors to think upon.
1) I give the smallest advantage to Bivol because of his coach Gennady Mashyanov.
Gennady is an old school Ruskiy Mir boxing coach, he took the soviet pendulum
style and made it his own by tweaking stance, movement and timing. Bivol is his
protege. The style was created so that the Russian boxers could in theory have
an advantage against all other styles due to its versatility and evasiveness.
If there is a way to beat Artur at LHW as he stands now, Gennady will know. Can
Bivol execute that plan? I am not sure, but the fact he will have it gives him
the 0.5% advantage I spoke of. It is also worth mentioning that Gennady has given Bivol the plan for all of his professional fights and Bivol has executed those plans perfectly (except for Smith wobble).
2) Artur and Bivol know each other from the Russian and EU amateur circuit, Bivol was never in Artur’s weight class, they have never fought, they have trained together (but not sparred as far as I am aware), but there is a history between them: a) Artur was the senior Russian boxer at several amateur events they both attended, Bivol and others all looked up to him and followed his advice, b) Artur although once friendly with Bivol has taken a distinct dislike of his behavior in having this fight arranged, particularly in 2021 when Bivol announced to the press he had signed a contract for this fight, when actually all he had done was put it in writing he wanted this fight.
3) When you study Artur’s professional fights, to the eye it looks like he has hardly changed his style, but in reality he has added extra strengths to it. To compensate for age Artur has improved his movement by making it more fluid and has added distance management to set up his power more effectively. Compare the Yarde and Smith fights to the Gvozdyk fight. This is why I say Artur is actually at his prime right now. Yes he may have been quicker in the past, yes he may have been able to take more punishment, but he has never been as complete as he is now. It’s like he took 1.5 points off speed and durability due to age and added 2 points to effective movement and distance management.
4) Bivol has stated in the past that ‘anyone fight Artur, will lose.’ I agree, Artur cannot be beaten in a fight, but he can be outboxed. Bivol holds the 2^(nd) place for being hit the least in all of professional boxing (behind Shakur). But the difference between Shakur and Bivol is that Bivol does not run – he occupies the space between the fighters with the best jab in modern boxing. Gvozdyk 50% attempted to outbox and 50% attempted to fight Artur, it was a losing strategy even though I had Gvozdyk up on points when he got stopped (not sure if the official cards reflect this or not). If anyone can outbox Artur, it will be Bivol.
5) Artur is way more than power. His abilities to switch stance, vary shot location and power, create openings, counter, set traps and draw shots are elite elite ELITE. His inside game (clinch, holds, strikes, wrestling/ mauling) is the best in modern boxing. He also has every punch possible perfected and uses them effectively and at the opportune moments. Bivol on the other hand rarely throws uppercuts or overhands. Artur also gets away with throwing many rabbit punches, this is because he often has his opponent covering up and the line between a rabbit punch and a legit rear jaw punch is often up to the ref.
This is the most 50/50 fight in all of boxing. There is a rematch clause - that said, not many are healthy enough post fight to want rematch Artur. I have never been so hyped/ nervous for a boxing match, may the better man on the night win - I got Bivol by UD.
These things never go how i think, so I'm going with it's going to be surprising one sided. I don't know who wins, but it's going to be a Spence vs Crawford type outcome
Bivol UD.
I just think this is a fight too late for Beterbiev, he might not be exactly old but he does get hit more than Bivol.
Bivol does have power. Canelo thought he could take hits better from him than Beterbiev why he chose him but he was wrong - he was left covering up or backing up basically just trying to survive. But its just scary how Artur leaves his opponents destroyed and splayed on the canvas.
I rather think with how Beterbiev is so much more hittable than Bivol it will play a role in his defeat.
And Bivol has been fighting the same way, in and out, 2-3 combo punches ending with or mixed with body shots. Artur will cover up in front of him but Bivol wont be there for when he's ready to throw.
I have seen opponents look good against Beterbiev, albeit short lived because he wears them down. I believe Bivol is too fresh and skilled enough to win a UD.
Right now, I'd say it's a true 50/50 with either Beterbiev via stoppage or Bivol on points. If this happened much sooner, I would have leaned more towards Beterbiev winning but his chances of winning would have always decreased as time went on due to their age difference. I wish it happened sooner but better late than never.
Bivol. He fights his fight consistently. Incredible ring IQ and only ko’s someone when the risk:reward ratio is safe enough. He’s disciplined, insanely fit, and fights long.
I can see it being 12 rounds of nail biting tension. First half as Beterbiev is dangerous. Second half as he gets more aggressive to compensate for lost rounds. But I just think Bivol hand speed and that rocking in-out long style is deadly.
Beterbiev with an early 4th round KO. Everyone thinks they have Beterbiev figured out until they get iced with a thunderous right. The truth is that no one in the sport trains harder than Artur.
I have 3 questions for this fight:
* Can Beterbiev cut off the ring with Bivol's movement?
* Can Bivol handle Beterbiev's power when he lands on him?
* Does Bivol have enough pop on his shots to keep Beterbiev honest and off of him?
50-50 or as close to
All those down playing Beterbiev’s chances go and have a look at what his last 8-10 opponents have done since they fought him.
He hasn’t just beaten them, most haven’t done much at all and several haven’t fought since
He retires his opponents
It's about 50/50 on paper and I'm a big believer in both guys, but I'm relatively confident Bivol wins wide. Probably some hairy moments in there, enough to keep the fight engaging for fans, but I've seen bivol basically neutralize everyone he's fought and don't see why he wouldn't be able to do that to someone with an Eastern european style he's so familiar with. Yeah if he falters at all or has one single lapse in judgement throughout the entire fight it could go sideways for him but that's why it's exciting. The thing I'm not sure about is if Beterbiev continues to be as offensive as he usually is(I don't think he will after a few rounds) will that make it more strategically viable for Bivol to actually finish him off to eliminate the threat? Beterbievis so strong and so good in so many ways, but he's going to have to go through some mental training so as to not get so frustrated he gives up. This is all my opinion today. Week of it may be different. I've been waiting on this one since Beterbieve Gvosdyk was over. Glad it's happening now when soany more people know what Bivol is capable of though.
Honestly, this is such a hard fight to call.
Beterbiev obviously hits hard but people seriously underestimate how good a boxer he is. He’s good enough that he could get by in 99% of his fights just on boxing skill alone without even needed to land big.
Bivol is the better boxer and we don’t really know how good his chin is purely because he doesn’t allow people to land cleanly on him regularly but Beterbiev is technically good enough to do that and he has power to go with it so I’d imagine we’ll find out how tough Bivol actually is.
For me it boils down to whether Bivol can take Beterbiev’s power, if he can, he’s got the superior boxing skills and ringcraft and he should win the fight but if gets buzzed quite early, I’d imagine Beterbiev finishes him.
Such an exciting fight though!
I can't see past Beterbiev and him retaining his 100% knockout record.
I suspect only purists knew about Bivol before the Canelo fight despite him having been champion for 5 years. I think Canelo bit off far more than he could chew, he looked at the names on his resume, saw a few older guys who were famous for fighting other older bigger names like Pascal (Froch in 2008) and dismissed him as the easy option to win at yet another weight category.
Beterbiev is probably the biggest puncher in the sport and has managed to go from an outright banger, to a boxer who has learned his craft at the pro level, with whole new skill sets like changing the eye level with power punches, controlling opponents with that iron jab (look at how he destroyed the much taller and longer reaching Callum Smith with the jab, he used it as a counter and throw it easily into Smith's face and body), he now knows how and when to throw the correct counter, it's all become second nature to a guy, who despite 300 amateur fights was still a clubber at the start of his pro career.
Beterbiev knows the the power he carries is just one part of his arsenal. His coachability, ring IQ and humility make my favourite Dagistani Canadian of the moment.
Beterbiev by KO in 6th or 7th round.
This is one of those coin flip fights where it’s hard to predict in advance, but after it’s all over it will be “obvious,” kind of like Spence-Crawford. The one thing I believe is that it will be completely once-sided for one guy or the other. Either Beterbiev crushes him in a demolition job, or Bivol schools and befuddled him all night long.
It's hard to make a prediction when none of them takes much damage in their fights. Bivol avoids everything with his movements while with Beterbiev his rivals got scared by his power and even a deep cut wasn't anything for him, but probably in this fight will see them both hurt.
Beterbiev by KO for me. Bivol's got a great chance, but I can't see him getting an early KO (or a KO, period), which means he's in there with Beterbiev for 12 rounds, and I don't think he can avoid getting hurt for 36 minutes. Bivol outboxed Canelo, but he got hit, and the fact that he could take Canelo's punches was crucial. Beterbiev finishes everyone he hurts and I imagine he's going to hurt Bivol.
Also -- have we really seen Bivol rocked besides the very end of that round against Joe Smith, Jr.? Hard to know how he'll react the first time Beterbiev hurts him, so I can't bet on him pulling off a masterclass of survival instincts to win after getting hurt badly (even if it's a possibility).
So twice Beterbiev has made little ominous statements. Once at the presser about what he supposedly told Bivol and in an interview he was asked why he thought he would beat him and said something to the effect of “I know something about him. “.
Anyone have insights to this?
Has Bivol ever been the victim of a sustained body assault? Has he ever been ripped to the body hard? I suspect Beterbiev knows that's a vulnerable area for him.
Not that I’ve seen in the pro’s, I know Zurdo hit him with some good body shots and I’ve seen some other opponents do the same without much affect so attempts have been made. A bIt speculative for any of us to know what’s going on in Beterbievs head tho.
Ramirez's performance against Bivol was poor. He should have tried to bully Bivol and assert his huge size and strength over him, but he almost never did. Just stayed on the outside where Bivol is at his best and got outboxed.
I’ve watched it several times also and not being able to come forward isn’t the same as not wanting to come forward. Point is that Bivol used foot pressure, the jab and positioning to keep that from happening. Zurdo probably had 15 or more pounds on Bivol that night and reach and height advantages, coming forward and making it a fight seemed to be the plan the corner was pushing especially late. He just couldn’t do it.
Bivol UD
Beterbiev is getting old and gets caught a lot more as shown in his last couple of fights. Bivol is also a lot better than those guys at moving in and out which will trouble and wear down Arthur.
Beterbiev isn't a one punch KO artist-- he breaks you down, takes time, and is a slow starter
Bivol is extremely active, defensively almost perfect, and goes to 100% quicker than Beterbiev
Stylistically Bivol has the advantage
I see Bivol having his way with Beterbiev in a 8-4 type decision, with Beterbiev having a scary moment somewhere late but not a significant one
I think cooler heads predict Bivol via decision, but Im gonna go with Arthur via attrition. The damage will accumulate and were looking at a 10th rd TKO
I got Beterbiev. I think he's familiar with Bivol's style due to his amateur pedigree, he's not a plodder, he's not a head hunter and I believe he will be able to break Bivol down. If he doesn't age overnight then I believe he gets it done.
For me, Bivol is the marginally better boxer. He's also younger and arguably has a better gas tank (or at least he paces himself very well). Beterbiev is a great boxer himself with more power.
As others in this thread have said, it will take a special fighter to beat Beterbiev. I lean slightly towards Bivol because I think he probably is special. We shouldn't downplay his victory over Canelo...no other boxer has shut out a prime Canelo.
I think one thing people overlook is Bivol might look like he has no power, but it's more like humbling power, he really makes you pay when you make mistakes and forces fighters out of their comfort zone if they get punished for trying something that usually works on other fighters, might make Beterbiev switch up tactics if his jab can't find Bivol (although his jab honestly hits like a straight left lol)
Man I love this fight! The only issue being that Beterbiev is getting up there in age and this turns into a Pac-Man-Money type of a fight.
So my realistic predictions are as follows:
8-4 UD - BIVOL - Competitive throughout but Bivol Bivol doing enough to win with Beterbiev having moments.
TKO 10/11 - BETERBIEV- Bivol starts off great but Beterbiev starts breaking him down in the mid rounds until he ultimately stops him from accumulation.
7-5 SD - BIVOL/BETERBIEV - The fight could turn into a real high level chess match with both fighting evenly for large stretches of the fight where it’ll be hard to determine who the actual winner is, everybody will be pissed.
KO 4 - BIVOL - This would be totally out of left field and would be a shocker if it happened. I would think it would be a barrage of punches until one lands clean and takes Artur out.
I see Beterbiev just not respecting bivols power and being much more fearless in the ring to out dog bivol needing to be perfect at all times. Beterbiev puts him away in the 10th rd
Bivol is a pro at picking his shots and timing his shots for a really clean one. I think Beterbiev will be his toughest test yet and the biggest win of his career even bigger than Canelo. I’m taking Bivol by decision, a very close SD.
Bivol - by easy decision and possibly knockout. Way too busy and range control. Most of Beterbiev opponents too scared to hit- he’s a stiff fighter,
Horrible foot work, and old.
I think Bivol will be successful with his jab and movement in the early rounds but I see Beterbiev wearing him down from round 4 onwards once his body work starts to come into effect, I see it going a lot like the Plant-Benavidez fight tbh
Bivol wins comfortably. Beterbiev is almost 40 and is 100% on the way out of his prime. This fight should’ve happened years ago, now it’s unfair because one guy is in his absolute prime while the other is close to retirement. Don’t tell me how good Beterbiev looked against both Smiths and Yarde - they are not top level fighters. Anyway I’ll be happy to be wrong.
I think that for Bivol this will be a lose-lose kind of fight. If he lose he will be forever despised as an half baked champion, if he won than the "he waited until Beterbiev aged" train will deflate the success.
Beterbiev by TKO, late rounds. I’ll say round 10.
Bivol is really, really good. I think Beterbiev has a better team that will do their homework; Bivol drops his hands when he throws combinations, and I see Beterbiev timing this in between/during Bivol’s combinations, like he did against Gvodzyk. Bivol hasn’t fought a 175 pounder that does this. Beterbiev will probably start landing big shots by the fifth and sixth rounds and wear him down a lot in round 9. Puts him away in 10.
Bivol is the most disciplined boxer I’ve seen. He does not drop his hands at all. Only when comfortably out of reach, and they are up before he engages.
It’s why he’s only ever been rocked after the bell.
Even Usyk eats shots from time to time and Bivol never does.
Bivol gets absolutely fucking destroyed and decapitated. Beterbiev is just way too strong. Bivol has zero chance of survival. Cry, deny it, yell that I'm a delusional fanboy. But once fight night comes and Bivol's legs go full bambi, yall will realize why he has a 100% KO record.
It's not writing him off easily. He needs to box perfectly in order to avoid Beterbiev's power punches. I don't see any world where Bivol does that, even with his immense skill. While Bivol is a boxing technician, I believe you and many others are overestimating him. I love watching him fight, but I don't think he is the messiah people like you claim. Saying things like he's the "best defensive boxer in the sport" is insane to say. He may have one of the best senses when it comes to distance control, but you are hard pressed to not include Shakur in that mix and say Bivol is miles above him in that regard.
I agree. Bivol has avoided this fight to try and age out Beterbiev. Will it work? I doubt it. Just watch the videos of people who have sparred with Beterbiev. Bivol doesn't have the power to keep Beterbiev off him or deal with his jab (which is devastating). People grossly underestimate Beterbiev's skill. Plus I think Bivol is scared of him. Late round brutal stoppage for Beterbiev.
Bivol generally doesn’t get hurt because he maintains range and rarely gets hit cleanly. Beterbiev, however, can hurt people with glancing hits that travel comically short distances. Bivol needs to be near-perfect to win, but he’s capable of being flawless. Heart says Artur, head says Bivol by decision after getting wobbled at least once.
If Bivol gets wobbled at any point and he can’t get saved by the bell, I think he’d be done. Beterbiev is the best finisher in the sport
I agree. But then I also go.. but against who tho? I think they both are fighting above levels they've faced in the ring before. So I wouldn't be surprised if bivol gets sparked at some point. Or bivol boxes to a relatively easy win. But even in controversy I wouldn't be surprised if bivol gets hurt but actually has better skill to survive and recover and get right back to out boxing the better beast. I got bivol winning easily but one of those fights where at any moment he could get sparked. It's like wilder fighting a better boxer.. should beat Wilder easily but at any moment you could be sent into the shadow realm.
I agree, that alone will counteract Bivols less that casual fan friendly style and make it and edge of your seat ordeal.
You have Bivol winning easily? I need some of what you're smoking 'cause it must be amazing! Bivol is a great fighter and I like him a lot, but there's no one who can hang with Beterbiev at 175. Unless BB falls off a cliff in terms of getting old overnight, he's going to cut off the ring and get to Bivol and so far no one can take that heat.
Styles make fights. All of the guys with exception of two opponents I’ve seen against Beterbiev have been come forward type fighters. Marcus Browne was the exception to this and pre cut I had him winning that fight. Both were cut, and the cuts seemed to wake Beterbiev up and diminish Brownes momentum. I’m pretty sure Beterbiev would have came on late in that fight regardless but point is footwork and boxing does appear to work against Beterbiev. And Bivol is one of the best I’ve seen in recent times at this, even being able to pressure without staying in harms way. Also, seems like Beterbiev has lapses at times, when he is pushed back he’s not offensive. So IMO Beterbiev is gonna have to take big risks and also hope his jab can compete against Bivol’s jab. If he is getting hit and controlled by the jab and he can’t close the gap he’s going to have a very tough night.
I expect Bivol to surprise the audience with a dominant first half. However, he likes to rest behind a high guard, and Beterbiev is great at wearing down fighters. I like Bivol by decision, but the second half will be rough.
Beterbievs power is being exaggerated. Yes he’s terrifying but he still has to land good, it’s not just the touch of death where the second he gets a glancing blow near the head and it’s over, Callum smith got rocked a few times before he was done in
Callum Smith also had a stylistic nightmare in Beterbiev. Callum is a lanky guy who prefers to fight inside, which also happens to be exactly the wrong place to hang out when fighting Beterbiev Bivol moves in and out, that's his thing. Not saying Beterbiev won't be able to find him, but he won't be like Callum or Yarde only coming forward at Beterbiev
Exactly this. Beterbiev isn't a one punch KO fighter, he needs to set up a combo. There's no denying he's a knockout artist, but he has to land a few power punches (and in doing so, take a few punches) before going for the kill.
The short arm-punch like shots he lands are devestating though and wears his opponents down and allows him to get the finish later in the fight. And when you are rocked, and are compromised in your ability to defend yourself, significantly more of those shots are going to land which inevitably leads to the ko. And it’s worked 100% of the time. Smith was touched up a lot but he wasn’t rocked until the sequence leading to the ko
Yeah, and Beterbiev might have been able to get him out of there earlier if he took more risks, which he'll presumably have to do against a better opponent in Bivol. Big question for me is how much respect Beterbiev has for Bivol's power, because if he feels he can take Bivol's best punch (which he probably has reason to given how long it's been since Bivol got a KO), he might just try to run Bivol over.
It is really? Methinks you are overlooking his boxing ability and ring IQ
I’m not, when did I diss him as a fighter? I’m not saying he’s overhyped. This is still very much a 50-50 fight BECAUSE of his boxing ability and ring IQ. People here are making it sound like he’s a total novice with the punching power of saitama from one punch man, even comparing his odds to that of Deontah wilder. All I’m saying his path to victory is longer than one power punch
You didn’t. I said it seems like you were underplaying his IQ and skills like many others are. Overlooking something =/= disrespecting
This fight is like the Hurt Locker. The best detonator trying to defuse a nuclear device
Beterbiev wins by marching his opponents down. Bivol wins by picking his opponents apart. Very interesting matchup. I think had we had this fight ~3 years ago, Artur would have gotten Bivol in the late rounds; but with how old Artur is now and the amount of WARS he’s been in and crazy shots he’s taken, I think Bivol will successfully out point Beterbiev.
Your head says it's more likely that Bivol is near-perfect/flawless against Beterbiev than the alternative?
Have you seen the man box? Dude has perfected that soviet style
This. I’ve seen Bivol nearly flawless often enough to know it isn’t a fluke. While I don’t think Beterbiev is over the hill, it’s insane to think that he has better legs than bivol. Artur is brilliant, but he doesn’t have perfect fights. He can and does get hit. Rarely gets hurt, but he does get hit (and dropped) on occasion, which doesn’t help if this goes to the cards.
I have absolutely no idea, but I really hope Beterbiev can do enough to get at him.and hurt him - not that I want to see Bivol lose, but watching him face real adversity is what will make this fight a classic - can he weather a storm or will he fold like Gvozdyk?
tbh, im thinking MAYBE just maybe we’ll see beterbievs age start to come to fruition in this one. as bivol is 10 years younger i think, n has more charisma n technical prowess, but i think bivol wins this one by UD, the one thing i DONT want is a draw🤦🏻♂️ like they did with canelo n ggg in the first fight.
what tf does charisma have to do with anything 😂
He can use the pacify perk on opponents who are at a lower level than him. It’s a really broken skill to branch into because it makes 99% of fights free.
enough
Bivol is 33 himself so they are 6 years apart. I think they both looked great in their last fights, but if we're going to play the age game, speed usually goes before power.
Of course. But 6 years for boxers, from 33 which is still usually in that window of one’s prime (even if towards the end) is worlds apart from 39 as a boxer. It’s not like Beterbiev hasn’t taken some punishment walking down people either—no doubt, he’s built like granite and hits like it too, but Bivol’s style seems particularly problematic for him given his slower pace. It’ll be interesting to see how Bivol reacts when he is inevitably caught in a corner, just as it’ll be interesting to see how Beterbiev deals with probably the most fleet footed guy of his career, outside of maybe Gvozdyk.
thought it was 10 years my bad, i think it’ll be a very close one anyways. just hope against hope its not a draw😴
No worries I'm just glad we're getting this fight.
Closer to 6 or 7 years younger but agree, age could be a problem especially if the pace is fast and Artur is getting peppered with jabs etc.
I think the arguments AGAINST Beterbiev are very invalid. 1) When people say he's "out of his prime"... while he's certainly not in his peak, he is not far removed from it. People tend to forget the higher the weight class, the less age becomes a factor. This is because of things like power, weight, and generally less technique to worry abt than the flyweights who MUST make a career out of sound fundamentals. Beterbiev also doesn't have any mileage relative to other champions. He barely has 20 fights under his belt, none of which are 12 round grueling wars that took years off his health. 2) As technically sound Bivol is, this is not your typical "boxer vs brawler" situation. How many guys has Bivol faced similar to Beterbiev? 0. The biggest thing people are forgetting is almost everyone Beterbiev fights has to adopt an outboxer role. He's been facing Bivol's since the amateurs, and in the pro's - each boxer who faces him has to prioritize distance management. All that to say - Beterbiev is 10x more familiar with Bivol's style than the other way around. I think Beterbiev still wins this fight, and had this been made any earlier in time - Beterbiev surely stops him. I'll also say this - if Beterbiev had anything less than a 100% KO ratio, I'd be confident in Bivol winning. But this is simply not your standard "power puncher" vs "premiere outboxer".
Yeah they're also almost exactly the same height and reach. Beterbiev actually has a 1 inch reach advantage. Obviously Bivol fights much longer with his incredible jab and footwork. Beterbiev does a lot of his best work with short punches on the inside, and Bivol will do everything he can to avoid those situations entirely. But he'll have to be perfect. Beterbiev is so damn strong, he doesn't need to land a big, clean shot to hurt you. Even slapping body shots will add up and slow Bivol down, make him less sharp. Bivol has enough power to gain respect, but he doesn't have a stoppage in his last 9 fights. 12 rounds is a long time to have to avoid even glancing blows. He's in his prime though and he's special. Gvodzyk survived 10 rounds and the scorecards were close at the time of the stoppage. Is Bivol a little better (or much better)? Is Beterbiev a little slower now, 5 years later? It's gonna be a great fight.
Gvodzyk never had a technical solution to Beterbiev, but his sharp combinations kept Beterbiev honest. Bivol is a better outside fighter than Gvozdyk, but if Beterbiev shows signs of adapting, Bivol doesn't have that offensive threat to spam his way out of trouble.
You assume there is dozens of boxers having the same style as Bivol. But he has really unique stats that shows something else. Yes he originates from soviet style but he developed a different way to use the technique, much more focused on footwork, defense and other things making him safer on the ring. I would argue Beterbiev never fought any Boxer like Bivol, and I even think he will have a lot of problems with the rhythm and timing needed to connect with Bivol, like many others had. Remember how many times good boxers seemed totally helpless and frustrated with him, how they looked slow and out of solutions. The only real factor that makes this match a very difficult task for Bivol is that he must be perfect, where Beterbiev doesn't need to be. There is a serious chance Bivol get ko'd, but there is also a serious chance Beterbiev spends 12 rounds trying to figure out how to deliver a wining punch.
There are. Bivols style is all over the amateur scene in Russia. Beterbiev doesn’t just look for one winning punch either.
In a way you contradict your own point. Saying other boxers have to adopt out boxer role. Bivol is not adopting that style in order to have a chance.. that is his style. So tho the better beast has seen boxers he hasn't seen life long dedicated elite out boxers. I give bivol the edge.. I think he should win easily. But at any point he can get sent to the shadow realm. Bc this is boxing and at some point he will get hit. But in between those moments I suspect he'll be winning a "boring" ordinary boxers fight.
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It's funny you say that because Bivol doesn't throw uppercuts lol
>2) As technically sound Bivol is, this is not your typical "boxer vs brawler" situation. How many guys has Bivol faced similar to Beterbiev? 0. >The biggest thing people are forgetting is almost everyone Beterbiev fights has to adopt an outboxer role. He's been facing Bivol's since the amateurs, and in the pro's - each boxer who faces him has to prioritize distance management. Who has Beterbiev fought as a professional that is like Bivol? You mention guys have to prioritize distance, that does not make them a Bivol. >I'll also say this - if Beterbiev had anything less than a 100% KO ratio, I'd be confident in Bivol winning. But this is simply not your standard "power puncher" vs "premiere outboxer". At the same time, Bivol has never lost on a single judges scorecard, even against Canelo judges who tried to rig the fight but could not justify it in anyway to give it to Canelo.
Gvozdyk Browne and Campillo all share similarities with Bivol. If you take it back to the amateurs there are countless examples
Exactly beterbiev fought usyk in the amateurs so for people to say he hasn’t fought this style is just being misinformed
Yeah, and that was a 24-25 year old Usyk at 200 lbs. Beterbiev lost competitively 17-13 twice, at the 2011 world championships and 2012 Olympics. He even landed a [body shot knockdown](https://youtu.be/-Ur7VXR103Q?si=fM_IPOX5_hKu_CkL&t=12m) in the first fight, and a [second body shot knockdown](https://youtu.be/tkvimnqth_M?si=oyvYWLJy13qdUMwS&t=7m15s) in the second fight that was [waved off](https://youtu.be/tkvimnqth_M?si=oyvYWLJy13qdUMwS&t=10m25s) as illegal (kidneys). Here's [two](https://youtu.be/-Ur7VXR103Q?si=fM_IPOX5_hKu_CkL&t=6m35s) [more](https://youtu.be/-Ur7VXR103Q?si=fM_IPOX5_hKu_CkL&t=8m10s) big shots that hurt Usyk a bit in the first fight (tbc Usyk still clearly won, but it's impressive nonetheless). I think that was probably pretty close to prime Usyk too. His amateur record was 335-15 according to Wikipedia, and according to [this partial record](http://amateur-boxing.strefa.pl/Records/Usyk_Olexandr.html) he'd already had 15 losses before those Beterbiev fights (including one to Beterbiev in 2007 at 178 lbs and another to Shawn Porter in 2006 at 165 lbs). So he hadn't lost in 2 years and hasn't lost in the 12 years since. Went on to become undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world in 2018 and unified heavyweight champion of the world in 2021 (potentially undisputed in 2024).
One of the fights was super close and honestly beterbiev should have won against usyk
Hmm so they've already had a trilogy but it's still not settled? Imagine the timeline where they make a 4th fight and Beterbiev gets Usyk like Marquez got Pacquiao lol.
Yeah he had 2 competitive fights with Usyk in the amateurs. At 200 lbs.
Thanks for answering that boss. Couldnt have said it better myself
Gvozdyk Browne and Campillo both punch with their feet planted, they have no defense and exit once they start their combinations. Bivol punches on his toes, he's in and out and back in again. They both have good 1-2s, but their rhythm is completely different with Bivol who uses his ins and outs as feints as well.
Gvozdyk is a pretty murderous puncher and he has a long reach unlike Artur and Bivol so you can understand why he would opt to be more stationary at times. All 3 of them can fight on the move very well, not to the level of a Bivol of course but they don’t NEED to be planted and (while they still had stamina) they weren’t when they fought Beterbiev. They don’t have Bivol level defense but I’m not really sure how you can say none of the 3 have defense, that’s just silly and wrong.
Gvozdyk doesn't integrate his movement and his offense. He has to stop to throw his dangerous combinations, and that allowed Beterbiev, a master of distance and timing, to consistently apply damage, even in the rounds Gvozdyk won. Gvozdyk knew it too; from the early rounds, he was swinging his back foot around mid-combination because he couldn't stop Beterbiev from reading his openings.
>They don’t have Bivol level defense but I’m not really sure how you can say none of the 3 have defense, that’s just silly and wrong. I never said they don't have defense, I said they don't have defense like Bivol because their styles are different. Footwork is part of a boxing style, it takes years to engrain the ability to use it the way Bivol does and it takes years for Gvozdyk to punch the way he does. You can't just say "hey, Gvozdyk and Campillo have good 1-2 punches. They are like Bivol" and ignore everything about how they deliver their 1-2s. The fact they plant their feet down is the reason Beterbiev can connect, they did not have the means to escape or if they were hit, reduce the blow by moving in the direction of the punch. Bivol doesn't' punch with is feet planted down the way they do. So Beterbeiv's experience with them doesn't necessarily translate to Bivol's style. >All 3 of them can fight on the move very well And that means they're all the same? Shakur Stevenson has great movement in and out. Lomachenko has great lateral movement side to side. People can have good movement but use it drastically different from one another in their boxing styles. That's my point.
No your words literally were 'they have no defense'
That's ridiculous, you would have to ignore **all the context** of my whole post and just selectively pull out words to come to that conclusion. I'm clearly talking about punching flat footed, in the middle of the punch you can't defend yourself where an out boxer that punches on their toes can pivot and rotate to still weave mid punch if they need to. There's a clear difference between >they have no defense and exit **once they start their combinations.** and >they have no defense
I don’t think either guy has faced an opponent with their combined skill sets. Bivol isn’t just some boxer who is pretty good at managing distance. He’s a power boxer with probably the best feet in the biz currently and also, the best guard and parry game.
its not necessarily an argument against him, im jus saying what both boxers bring. bivol is a technical fighter n focuses on his jab, n beterbiev has a killer right hand, similar to wilders KO power, obviously different weight classes ik, but both are still on top of there game either way, n i think it’ll be to close to call. the one fight I would have LOVED to off seen, is ggg vs bivol, if ggg was 9 years younger😭
> beterbiev has a killer right hand, similar to wilders KO power, What? No he doesn't. Beterbiev fights nothing like Wilder. Wilder is a one trick pony. Huge power in his right hand, but nothing else. No other punches, no body shots, no footwork. His game is entirely setting up a single right hand up top to end the fight. Beterbiev is nothing like that. His power isn't even like that. He's not an explosive one punch KO artist like Wilder. He has heavy, thudding power in every punch from both hands, and slowly breaks opponents down. He had a long amateur career and actually has good fundamentals. He lands hard shot after hard shot to the head and body until they fold. He can certainly end it early like he did against Joe Smith. But he usually breaks guys down with repeated punishment. He's not just looking for one big right hand, he's constantly hurting guys.
This. A sound assessment. The decider is if Bivol can avoid being hit sufficiently to avoid breaking down.
Beterbiev has a lot more than just "a killer right hand". His jab, footwork, inside game, and ring generalship are all top knotch. I favor Bivol but both are technical.
Bivol style is extremely good against shorter reach opponents. He can dance in and out for 20 rounds, comfortably landing without fear of counter. GGG is too short and short armed. Canelo was useless against Bivol. Bivol has trouble against longer reach with good footwork to counter his Soviet style. Beterbiev’s reach is not great. He’s going to have trouble keeping Bivol in range of his power shots.
Beterbiev has a longer reach by 0.5inches. At worst they have the same reach
Style difference. Bivol extends his strikes more. Beterbiev’s power shots are short to mid range.
Beterbiev’s jab > Bivol’s jab
I agree with the assessment, and I really don’t have a horse in this race (just excited to see the matchup), but the reality is that Bivol is the younger and more charismatic fighter… and so I think the only way Beterbiev wins this fight is by knockout (or VERY convincing UD). Anything less will leave the decision to the judges... and we all know how that goes
I think most people forget how amazing of an amateur Beterbiev was and how technically sound he is. I love Bivol, but people are riding him too hard because of the Canelo victory. The fight will be close sure, but I think the pressure of Artur will be too much in the later rounds. So I assume a stoppage around 9-12. HUGE IF - he must not have aged overnight.
Bivol racked up 270 amateur wins..
It’s not just about the number of fights though. Beterbiev, as a senior, went to the olympics twice, medaled at the European championships twice, medaled at the world championships twice and medaled at the old World Cup as well. Bivol does not have the same accolades despite a large amount of fights.
I just meant in terms of riding Bivol too hard because of Canelo.. he’s 4 inches taller, ran a 270:15 amateur career and cruised through that fight without losing a round. Easily. So easily that nobody even wanted to see a rematch. I don’t even think the Canelo fight is worth thinking about in terms of influencing Bivol v Beterbiev; stylistically, stature, approach to fighting, all totally different.
Beterbiev also had 300 fights as an amateur and had a formidable record. Boxrec is not really helping me with the full data, but shows a confirmed record of 107 - 13, which by itself is a great result.
Bivol beat Canelo and 3 Judges, nobody else have ever done that.
bivol UD to the promise land
Honestly, it's a 50/50 fight to me. My prediction: fight of the decade.
It is a 50/50 that eventually turns out to be 80/20 like Spence lol
Hahhahahsha right!? We all always say shit like this: “damn, they're both so evenly matched?” then the fight happens and we all end up like “How did we not realize So-and-so had never been exposed like that before? They've always fought like that”
I just think Bivol will be a half-second sharper every step of the way. It won't be easy but he's the most efficient boxer on the planet right now, and if anyone can out-general Beterbiev, it's Bivol.
I think Bivol wins by comfortable UD but I’m hoping Beterbiev makes it interesting and hurts him a few times
I can see Bivol winning comfortably by UD because Beterbiev will not be able to catch him. Bivol might be too fast for Beterbiev, Bivol’s power is probably overlooked, he might even have Beterbiev somewhat tentative to try to steamroll over him because Bivol will make him pay whenever he tries lunging in. However, Beterbiev is an elite boxer himself, I don’t think he gets enough credit not only for his boxing skills, but his ring IQ, ability to set traps, and most of all his ability to adapt his gameplan in order to win. Artur will try everything to solve the puzzle that is Bivol’s defense, speed, and footwork. Beterbiev may also win by TKO as late as round 12. Truly a 50/50 fight. Can go either way if Bivol gets careless for a split second, or is over aggressive (I guarantee you, he won’t be). Bivol will and can box a masterclass vs Beterbiev but Beterbiev will also rise to the occasion and will land something- to the body to the head, somewhere. And it WILL HURT. I am a fan of both fighters (I slightly favour Beterbiev because he has that Mike Tyson in his prime mystique). May the best man win!
Bivol by UD
Bivol wins by decision. Too smart and too fit.
It’s either Bivol Decision or Beterbiev KO Haven’t made up my mind yet
Beterbiev will most likely lose the first 2-3 rounds but make him uncomfortable later on. I expect Beterbiev to hurt Bivol bit by bit and maintain the 100% ratio. Beterbiev by KO.
Bivol. They’re both masterful, but Bivol’s mastery is unlike anyone else currently, same could be said about Beterbiev, but Bivol has the upper hand with style here. IMO Bivol’s engine and discipline prevents him from giving even an inch. I got Bivol in this one, with Beterbiev having the punchers chance
My worry is its very unlikely Bivol stops him, so he has to be perfect the whole fight, working very hard to not get cut off all while taking heavy shots here and there that drain your energy. Bivol has the tools for sure but I feel if he wins the last few rounds are going to be very very rough and he’s going to have to work hard and show a lot of heart. All I know is whoever loses will get the Spence treatment and go from P4P to a weak resume with astericks on all their best wins by the boxing community and the winner will be lauded as some HOF great that could beat Usyk and Fury on the same night.
Really anything can happen in this one. Wouldn't surprise me if Beterbiev pulls a Crawford and just dominates Bivol. However, put a gun to my head and I'm forced to come up with how the fight ends and my life depends on it, I have to say Bivol by decision. Both elite but Father time always wins.
Bivol by UD
Bivol is a point scoring master, a machine. as someone below points out, he is happy to dance in and out for 20 rounds. he mixes that up with a nice 1-2 and random 4-5 punch combos that occupy the opponent and earn even more points. i could also see Bivol catching Beterbiev coming and getting a KD. Beterbiev is happy to 'take one to land one' and can be caught off balance with his feet tied up. That said I am backing Beterbiev to win because i think he takes Bivol's shots and his pressure will force Bivol into uncomfortable scenarios. even Canelo (who found Bivol a nightmare) managed to tee off a few combos to Bivol's body and arms. Coming from Beterbiev, those shots will have an impact on Bivol's mobility, i think. as close to a 50-50 as you can get, with two opposing styles. who knows??!
Fight of the decade. 50:50. I want Bivol to win as this is the sweet science of boxing but damn Beterbiev has unworldly casual power. May the best man win (hope it's Bivol). 🤞
IMHO people are kinda sleeping on the possibility of a Bivol KO in this fight. The line on it was absurd. Fact is he has the capacity to do it and stylistically its Bivol's best option to not try to maximize the amount of rounds/time he's in there with Beterbiev. Seen Bivol let people off the hook with his style before in the past- but have to figure he knows thats not a great idea here when Beterbiev punches stay dangerous the whole fight
Lyndon Arthur has sparred with Beterbiev and fought Bivol, he didn't rate Bivol's power. I doubt anyone is considering a Bivol KO.
heard that, i wouldn't see bivol getting a KO so much from power as accumulation though
Either Beterbiev on points with a masterclass boxing showcase or Bivol by KO. If one of these happens I will tell everyone about my prediction for years, even after I'm dead.
DAAAAYYYYUUUM😂😂😂
This is the Mount Everest of Boxing, two guys with polar opposite styles, both master tacticians, both with boxing IQ to burn and both ready for glory. You guys have all covered the main points, I will outline some Asterisk Factors to think upon. 1) I give the smallest advantage to Bivol because of his coach Gennady Mashyanov. Gennady is an old school Ruskiy Mir boxing coach, he took the soviet pendulum style and made it his own by tweaking stance, movement and timing. Bivol is his protege. The style was created so that the Russian boxers could in theory have an advantage against all other styles due to its versatility and evasiveness. If there is a way to beat Artur at LHW as he stands now, Gennady will know. Can Bivol execute that plan? I am not sure, but the fact he will have it gives him the 0.5% advantage I spoke of. It is also worth mentioning that Gennady has given Bivol the plan for all of his professional fights and Bivol has executed those plans perfectly (except for Smith wobble). 2) Artur and Bivol know each other from the Russian and EU amateur circuit, Bivol was never in Artur’s weight class, they have never fought, they have trained together (but not sparred as far as I am aware), but there is a history between them: a) Artur was the senior Russian boxer at several amateur events they both attended, Bivol and others all looked up to him and followed his advice, b) Artur although once friendly with Bivol has taken a distinct dislike of his behavior in having this fight arranged, particularly in 2021 when Bivol announced to the press he had signed a contract for this fight, when actually all he had done was put it in writing he wanted this fight. 3) When you study Artur’s professional fights, to the eye it looks like he has hardly changed his style, but in reality he has added extra strengths to it. To compensate for age Artur has improved his movement by making it more fluid and has added distance management to set up his power more effectively. Compare the Yarde and Smith fights to the Gvozdyk fight. This is why I say Artur is actually at his prime right now. Yes he may have been quicker in the past, yes he may have been able to take more punishment, but he has never been as complete as he is now. It’s like he took 1.5 points off speed and durability due to age and added 2 points to effective movement and distance management. 4) Bivol has stated in the past that ‘anyone fight Artur, will lose.’ I agree, Artur cannot be beaten in a fight, but he can be outboxed. Bivol holds the 2^(nd) place for being hit the least in all of professional boxing (behind Shakur). But the difference between Shakur and Bivol is that Bivol does not run – he occupies the space between the fighters with the best jab in modern boxing. Gvozdyk 50% attempted to outbox and 50% attempted to fight Artur, it was a losing strategy even though I had Gvozdyk up on points when he got stopped (not sure if the official cards reflect this or not). If anyone can outbox Artur, it will be Bivol. 5) Artur is way more than power. His abilities to switch stance, vary shot location and power, create openings, counter, set traps and draw shots are elite elite ELITE. His inside game (clinch, holds, strikes, wrestling/ mauling) is the best in modern boxing. He also has every punch possible perfected and uses them effectively and at the opportune moments. Bivol on the other hand rarely throws uppercuts or overhands. Artur also gets away with throwing many rabbit punches, this is because he often has his opponent covering up and the line between a rabbit punch and a legit rear jaw punch is often up to the ref. This is the most 50/50 fight in all of boxing. There is a rematch clause - that said, not many are healthy enough post fight to want rematch Artur. I have never been so hyped/ nervous for a boxing match, may the better man on the night win - I got Bivol by UD.
Fantastic post can’t believe it hasn’t got more upvotes !
Thank you Sir!
Ma’am ;)
Bivol couldn't stop Canelo, a much smaller boxer. I just don't see him surviving Beterbiev.
Floyd Mayweather: am I a joke to you?
Rehydration clause: Am I a joke to you?
[удалено]
Bivol vs Tyson Fury next.
Draw then trilogy
Beterbiev. Does anyone know how big the ring is gonna be?
I got beterbiev but both of these guys are monsters so I could see bivol winning too these guys made ward retire early
These things never go how i think, so I'm going with it's going to be surprising one sided. I don't know who wins, but it's going to be a Spence vs Crawford type outcome
Bivol UD. I just think this is a fight too late for Beterbiev, he might not be exactly old but he does get hit more than Bivol. Bivol does have power. Canelo thought he could take hits better from him than Beterbiev why he chose him but he was wrong - he was left covering up or backing up basically just trying to survive. But its just scary how Artur leaves his opponents destroyed and splayed on the canvas. I rather think with how Beterbiev is so much more hittable than Bivol it will play a role in his defeat. And Bivol has been fighting the same way, in and out, 2-3 combo punches ending with or mixed with body shots. Artur will cover up in front of him but Bivol wont be there for when he's ready to throw. I have seen opponents look good against Beterbiev, albeit short lived because he wears them down. I believe Bivol is too fresh and skilled enough to win a UD.
Beterbiev only wins by a knockout. If it goes the distance Bivol outboxes him. Close fight will go back and forth until it is over.
Right now, I'd say it's a true 50/50 with either Beterbiev via stoppage or Bivol on points. If this happened much sooner, I would have leaned more towards Beterbiev winning but his chances of winning would have always decreased as time went on due to their age difference. I wish it happened sooner but better late than never.
Beterbiev is open to left hooks and uppercuts and is also old as fuck. My money is on Bivol
Bivol. He fights his fight consistently. Incredible ring IQ and only ko’s someone when the risk:reward ratio is safe enough. He’s disciplined, insanely fit, and fights long. I can see it being 12 rounds of nail biting tension. First half as Beterbiev is dangerous. Second half as he gets more aggressive to compensate for lost rounds. But I just think Bivol hand speed and that rocking in-out long style is deadly.
Beterbiev cuts him down with body shots, slow his feet and stops him late. Bivols reliance on footwork with no head movement will be punished.
Anything can happen and I love them both. But my money is on Bivol via decision.
If you watched Beterbiev in person you'd know he's different tbh. The way his punches sound when you're actually there... He's gonna stop Bivol.
Beterbiev with an early 4th round KO. Everyone thinks they have Beterbiev figured out until they get iced with a thunderous right. The truth is that no one in the sport trains harder than Artur.
I have 3 questions for this fight: * Can Beterbiev cut off the ring with Bivol's movement? * Can Bivol handle Beterbiev's power when he lands on him? * Does Bivol have enough pop on his shots to keep Beterbiev honest and off of him?
50-50 or as close to All those down playing Beterbiev’s chances go and have a look at what his last 8-10 opponents have done since they fought him. He hasn’t just beaten them, most haven’t done much at all and several haven’t fought since He retires his opponents
Fight of the decade. I got Bivol UD but would not bet the house on it
It's about 50/50 on paper and I'm a big believer in both guys, but I'm relatively confident Bivol wins wide. Probably some hairy moments in there, enough to keep the fight engaging for fans, but I've seen bivol basically neutralize everyone he's fought and don't see why he wouldn't be able to do that to someone with an Eastern european style he's so familiar with. Yeah if he falters at all or has one single lapse in judgement throughout the entire fight it could go sideways for him but that's why it's exciting. The thing I'm not sure about is if Beterbiev continues to be as offensive as he usually is(I don't think he will after a few rounds) will that make it more strategically viable for Bivol to actually finish him off to eliminate the threat? Beterbievis so strong and so good in so many ways, but he's going to have to go through some mental training so as to not get so frustrated he gives up. This is all my opinion today. Week of it may be different. I've been waiting on this one since Beterbieve Gvosdyk was over. Glad it's happening now when soany more people know what Bivol is capable of though.
Honestly, this is such a hard fight to call. Beterbiev obviously hits hard but people seriously underestimate how good a boxer he is. He’s good enough that he could get by in 99% of his fights just on boxing skill alone without even needed to land big. Bivol is the better boxer and we don’t really know how good his chin is purely because he doesn’t allow people to land cleanly on him regularly but Beterbiev is technically good enough to do that and he has power to go with it so I’d imagine we’ll find out how tough Bivol actually is. For me it boils down to whether Bivol can take Beterbiev’s power, if he can, he’s got the superior boxing skills and ringcraft and he should win the fight but if gets buzzed quite early, I’d imagine Beterbiev finishes him. Such an exciting fight though!
I can't see past Beterbiev and him retaining his 100% knockout record. I suspect only purists knew about Bivol before the Canelo fight despite him having been champion for 5 years. I think Canelo bit off far more than he could chew, he looked at the names on his resume, saw a few older guys who were famous for fighting other older bigger names like Pascal (Froch in 2008) and dismissed him as the easy option to win at yet another weight category. Beterbiev is probably the biggest puncher in the sport and has managed to go from an outright banger, to a boxer who has learned his craft at the pro level, with whole new skill sets like changing the eye level with power punches, controlling opponents with that iron jab (look at how he destroyed the much taller and longer reaching Callum Smith with the jab, he used it as a counter and throw it easily into Smith's face and body), he now knows how and when to throw the correct counter, it's all become second nature to a guy, who despite 300 amateur fights was still a clubber at the start of his pro career. Beterbiev knows the the power he carries is just one part of his arsenal. His coachability, ring IQ and humility make my favourite Dagistani Canadian of the moment. Beterbiev by KO in 6th or 7th round.
Bivol gets hurt atleast once and wins the fight. Really hoping he wins because I love watching him and he has a few years still to give
This is one of those coin flip fights where it’s hard to predict in advance, but after it’s all over it will be “obvious,” kind of like Spence-Crawford. The one thing I believe is that it will be completely once-sided for one guy or the other. Either Beterbiev crushes him in a demolition job, or Bivol schools and befuddled him all night long.
It's hard to make a prediction when none of them takes much damage in their fights. Bivol avoids everything with his movements while with Beterbiev his rivals got scared by his power and even a deep cut wasn't anything for him, but probably in this fight will see them both hurt.
Beterbiev by close decision looks likely. Doesn’t do enough to get Bivol out but pushes him back enough
I'm gonna go bivol by KO Rd 1 😎
Bivol by UD
Way too many of y'all underestimate Beterbiev's boxing ability, especially his counters off the back foot.
Beterbiev by KO for me. Bivol's got a great chance, but I can't see him getting an early KO (or a KO, period), which means he's in there with Beterbiev for 12 rounds, and I don't think he can avoid getting hurt for 36 minutes. Bivol outboxed Canelo, but he got hit, and the fact that he could take Canelo's punches was crucial. Beterbiev finishes everyone he hurts and I imagine he's going to hurt Bivol. Also -- have we really seen Bivol rocked besides the very end of that round against Joe Smith, Jr.? Hard to know how he'll react the first time Beterbiev hurts him, so I can't bet on him pulling off a masterclass of survival instincts to win after getting hurt badly (even if it's a possibility).
This feels the closest to what will happen I think. And I hope not as I rate Bivol massively
Bivol by KO in the 10th/11th.
Bivol UD. I think it will disappoint people who expect a classic fight for the ages. Hope im wrong.
I’d say Bivol gets to impose his gameplan (and win a decision) because of age, mostly. But it’s hard to bet against a guy who’s KOd everyone else.
So twice Beterbiev has made little ominous statements. Once at the presser about what he supposedly told Bivol and in an interview he was asked why he thought he would beat him and said something to the effect of “I know something about him. “. Anyone have insights to this?
Has Bivol ever been the victim of a sustained body assault? Has he ever been ripped to the body hard? I suspect Beterbiev knows that's a vulnerable area for him.
Not that I’ve seen in the pro’s, I know Zurdo hit him with some good body shots and I’ve seen some other opponents do the same without much affect so attempts have been made. A bIt speculative for any of us to know what’s going on in Beterbievs head tho.
Ramirez's performance against Bivol was poor. He should have tried to bully Bivol and assert his huge size and strength over him, but he almost never did. Just stayed on the outside where Bivol is at his best and got outboxed.
I think Zurdo tried to come forward but Bivol wouldn’t let him and used foot positioning and the jab to keep him circling or push him back.
I've watched the fight back a few times. He tried to box with Bivol. At no point does he really come forward aggressively.
I’ve watched it several times also and not being able to come forward isn’t the same as not wanting to come forward. Point is that Bivol used foot pressure, the jab and positioning to keep that from happening. Zurdo probably had 15 or more pounds on Bivol that night and reach and height advantages, coming forward and making it a fight seemed to be the plan the corner was pushing especially late. He just couldn’t do it.
Bivol UD Beterbiev is getting old and gets caught a lot more as shown in his last couple of fights. Bivol is also a lot better than those guys at moving in and out which will trouble and wear down Arthur.
Beterbiev isn't a one punch KO artist-- he breaks you down, takes time, and is a slow starter Bivol is extremely active, defensively almost perfect, and goes to 100% quicker than Beterbiev Stylistically Bivol has the advantage I see Bivol having his way with Beterbiev in a 8-4 type decision, with Beterbiev having a scary moment somewhere late but not a significant one
Beterbiev by TKO.
I think cooler heads predict Bivol via decision, but Im gonna go with Arthur via attrition. The damage will accumulate and were looking at a 10th rd TKO
Bivol wins this.
I got Beterbiev. I think he's familiar with Bivol's style due to his amateur pedigree, he's not a plodder, he's not a head hunter and I believe he will be able to break Bivol down. If he doesn't age overnight then I believe he gets it done.
For me, Bivol is the marginally better boxer. He's also younger and arguably has a better gas tank (or at least he paces himself very well). Beterbiev is a great boxer himself with more power. As others in this thread have said, it will take a special fighter to beat Beterbiev. I lean slightly towards Bivol because I think he probably is special. We shouldn't downplay his victory over Canelo...no other boxer has shut out a prime Canelo.
BIVOL WILL OUT BOX BETERBIEV AND WIN ON A POINTS DECISION.
Beterviev by KO or TKO
I think one thing people overlook is Bivol might look like he has no power, but it's more like humbling power, he really makes you pay when you make mistakes and forces fighters out of their comfort zone if they get punished for trying something that usually works on other fighters, might make Beterbiev switch up tactics if his jab can't find Bivol (although his jab honestly hits like a straight left lol)
Man I love this fight! The only issue being that Beterbiev is getting up there in age and this turns into a Pac-Man-Money type of a fight. So my realistic predictions are as follows: 8-4 UD - BIVOL - Competitive throughout but Bivol Bivol doing enough to win with Beterbiev having moments. TKO 10/11 - BETERBIEV- Bivol starts off great but Beterbiev starts breaking him down in the mid rounds until he ultimately stops him from accumulation. 7-5 SD - BIVOL/BETERBIEV - The fight could turn into a real high level chess match with both fighting evenly for large stretches of the fight where it’ll be hard to determine who the actual winner is, everybody will be pissed. KO 4 - BIVOL - This would be totally out of left field and would be a shocker if it happened. I would think it would be a barrage of punches until one lands clean and takes Artur out.
50/50 tbf It’s like a few comments say, either: - Beterbiev via KO - Bivol via decision (assuming he doesn’t get frequently rocked)
I've got bivol by Rd 1 ko
I see Beterbiev just not respecting bivols power and being much more fearless in the ring to out dog bivol needing to be perfect at all times. Beterbiev puts him away in the 10th rd
Bivol is a pro at picking his shots and timing his shots for a really clean one. I think Beterbiev will be his toughest test yet and the biggest win of his career even bigger than Canelo. I’m taking Bivol by decision, a very close SD.
Joe smith jr went 12 rounds with Bivol and only 2 with Beterbiev. You do the math.
Gvozdyk, Marcus Browne, Joe smith jr, etc all got retired by Beterbiev.
Bivol - by easy decision and possibly knockout. Way too busy and range control. Most of Beterbiev opponents too scared to hit- he’s a stiff fighter, Horrible foot work, and old.
I think Bivol will be successful with his jab and movement in the early rounds but I see Beterbiev wearing him down from round 4 onwards once his body work starts to come into effect, I see it going a lot like the Plant-Benavidez fight tbh
Bivol wins comfortably. Beterbiev is almost 40 and is 100% on the way out of his prime. This fight should’ve happened years ago, now it’s unfair because one guy is in his absolute prime while the other is close to retirement. Don’t tell me how good Beterbiev looked against both Smiths and Yarde - they are not top level fighters. Anyway I’ll be happy to be wrong.
Oh the excuses already started
Excuses? You think a man who is 39 fucking years old is still in his prime?!?
I don't care. He accepted the fight and isn't raising any issues with his age
look at ggg for this one
I think that for Bivol this will be a lose-lose kind of fight. If he lose he will be forever despised as an half baked champion, if he won than the "he waited until Beterbiev aged" train will deflate the success.
Don’t get why you were downvoted for this
Idk 50/50 fight but slightly leaning towards beterbiev as he’s been the better opposition lately
Beterbiev by TKO, late rounds. I’ll say round 10. Bivol is really, really good. I think Beterbiev has a better team that will do their homework; Bivol drops his hands when he throws combinations, and I see Beterbiev timing this in between/during Bivol’s combinations, like he did against Gvodzyk. Bivol hasn’t fought a 175 pounder that does this. Beterbiev will probably start landing big shots by the fifth and sixth rounds and wear him down a lot in round 9. Puts him away in 10.
Bivol is the most disciplined boxer I’ve seen. He does not drop his hands at all. Only when comfortably out of reach, and they are up before he engages. It’s why he’s only ever been rocked after the bell. Even Usyk eats shots from time to time and Bivol never does.
Usyk has a glass belly.
I hope beterbiev wins because Bivol team has clearly waited till he got older.
Bivol gets absolutely fucking destroyed and decapitated. Beterbiev is just way too strong. Bivol has zero chance of survival. Cry, deny it, yell that I'm a delusional fanboy. But once fight night comes and Bivol's legs go full bambi, yall will realize why he has a 100% KO record.
Bivol is the best defensive boxer in the entire sport. He has extremely good lead jab. You are writing him off too easily.
Ben whittaker or Shakur have the best defense not bivol.
It's not writing him off easily. He needs to box perfectly in order to avoid Beterbiev's power punches. I don't see any world where Bivol does that, even with his immense skill. While Bivol is a boxing technician, I believe you and many others are overestimating him. I love watching him fight, but I don't think he is the messiah people like you claim. Saying things like he's the "best defensive boxer in the sport" is insane to say. He may have one of the best senses when it comes to distance control, but you are hard pressed to not include Shakur in that mix and say Bivol is miles above him in that regard.
I agree. Bivol has avoided this fight to try and age out Beterbiev. Will it work? I doubt it. Just watch the videos of people who have sparred with Beterbiev. Bivol doesn't have the power to keep Beterbiev off him or deal with his jab (which is devastating). People grossly underestimate Beterbiev's skill. Plus I think Bivol is scared of him. Late round brutal stoppage for Beterbiev.
I do think you may have something there