Artur Beterbiev, the WBC, IBF, and WBO light heavyweight champion, is looking forward to getting the opportunity to add the final belt that he needs for his collection against WBA champ Dmitry Bivol on June 1st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) is hush-mouth about how he plans on beating Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs), but it’s believed that he’s going to be putting a lot of pressure on him the way he does all his opponents.
Bivol is a boxer and mover, but he’s predictable in his approach: he comes forward to fire off combinations and then immediately retreats.
It’ll be interesting to see if Bivol chooses to throw combinations against Beterbiev because he’s excellent at timing his opposition, and he’s more powerful than most of the guys he’s fought before.
Gilberto Ramirez has power similar to Beterbiev, and Bivol handled him easily. Ramirez isn’t as skilled as Beterbiev, and that’s why Bivol found it so easy.
The Goal of Becoming Undisputed
“It’s like when you do a job, it’s good. It’s goal,” said Artur Beterbiev to Charlie Parson’s YouTube channel when asked what it’ll mean to him to become undisputed champion at light heavyweight. “He’s a good boxer,” said Beterbiev about Bivol.
Picking up the fourth belt would be a big achievement by Beterbiev because he’s been collecting the titles for so long. If Beterbiev wins this fight, he could face David Benavidez or Oleksandr Gvozdyk next. Those two will be meeting in June in a WBC title eliminator for Beterbiev’s belt.
“I know some things about him, but I don’t tell you. I can’t say he’s the best opponent in my career before I fight him. We’ll see how he’s going to fight. After the fight, I can tell you. When you get older, you get smarter. You’re learning more,” said Beterbiev.
Respect for Bivol, but No Hype
“When you are young, you do 10 repetitions to get one good one. When you get older, you do one repetition to get a good one. You do less repetitions. I not tell you that,” said Beterbiev on how he beats a fighter like Bivol.
Beterbiev is a little bit slower than he used to be, but his power is just as good, and he’s excellent at cutting off the ring. He had a hard time last year in his fight against Anthony Yarde before stopping him in the eighth round. Yarde has better hand speed and power than Bivol, so that was a tough one for Beterbiev.
“We’ll see,” said Beterbiev on whether he can stop Bivol. “I’m not a fan of boxing. It’s my job. I think it’s going to be a good fight. You have to watch this fight,” said Beterbiev on how his fight with Bivol will go.
