Set for mid-October, WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is slated to face Artur Beterbiev in a stellar showdown in Saudi Arabia. Per a recent report, Beterbiev was initially expected to face the WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol for the undisputed title on June 1st of this year. However, the former was to withdraw from the fight in May, after suffering a ruptured meniscus in training. Because of this situation, Malik Zinad was selected to fill in against Bivol, with Beterbiev intending to meet should Bivol beat Zinad. Now, with Bivol successfully defending his title via knockout, Beterbiev is slated to face him later this month in a huge title clash.
In this article, SBS will explore what to look for from each of these fighters along with a predicted winner and even more notes about boxing wagering.
Entering this showdown, Bivol has an awesome record in professional boxing with an unblemished mark of 23-0 in professional contests with 12 knockout wins. Noted above, he is coming off a fantastic sixth-round TKO win over Malik Zinad in Saudi Arabia that saw him retain his light heavyweight title belts. Prior to that matchup, he scored a unanimous decision victory over Lyndon Arthur also in Saudi Arabia just before Christmas last year.
Per sources, as an amateur, he won a gold medal at the 2013 World Combat Games in the 81 kg category. Also, as of earlier this summer, the Russian fighter is recognized as the world’s third-best active boxer, pound for pound by BoxRec and fourth by ESPN. Additionally, he is ranked as the second-best light heavyweight by The Ring, ESPN, and BoxRec as well. Additionally, he has scored other accolades like being ranked as the fighter of the year for 2022 by The Ring magazine.
In addition to his numerous wins and accolades, perhaps his biggest win to date was his unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez back in May 2022. Despite coming into the bout as an underdog, with some oddsmakers scoring him as a +400 contestant, the Russian fighter would nonetheless go on to win the fight by unanimous decision. According to CompuBox punch statistics, Bivol had outlanded his opponent in every single round of the fight, for a total of 152 punches landed out of 710 thrown. This was of course compared to Alvarez’s 84 of 495.
Entering this matchup, Beterbiev also has an excellent record to be proud of at 20-0. However, the difference between him and his opponent is that all of his victories have come by way of knockout. The Russian and Canadian fighter’s most recent bout was a blistering seventh-round TKO win over Callum Smith at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City.
Currently, Beterbiev is ranked as the world’s best light heavyweight boxer by The Ring, ESPN, and BoxRec among other national boxing outlets. Per one report, he is particularly known for his exceptional punching power. Again, this is noted by having won all of his professional fights by knockout or stoppage since debuting in 2013. Additionally, he is the only world champion in boxing who boasts a 100% knockout ratio. He is a unified champion in the light-heavyweight division, having held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title since 2017, and the WBC and WBO titles since 2019 and 2022, respectively.
Prior to his bout against Smith, he notched a fantastic eighth-round TKO win over Anthony Yarde at the OVO Arena Wembley, retaining all of these titles in the process. Before that, his matchup against Joe Smith Jr. was even more impressive as he won the WBO light heavyweight championship emphatically with a decisive second-round TKO. Of course, he would like to continue his massive streak of dominance against his opponent, but he has not yet faced a competitor quite at the level of Bivol. Nonetheless, Beterbiev’s knockout power is truly second to none and is an amazing fighter that could score the knockout at any moment.
This matchup could be the dark horse contender for fight of the year given both fighters are bringing undefeated records to the table which is a somewhat rarer occurrence in boxing in the modern day. Regardless, Bivol has the slight edge here given the slightly stronger professional body of work along with an advantage in age which could play a factor in this matchup. Finally, given the knockout power of both fighters, this one might not make it to a decision.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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