Artur Beterbiev is set for the fight of his life when he faces fellow light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol this month.
The two elite operators have dominated the division for some time now and will finally meet in an undisputed fight that pits the raw power and ring-cutting ability of Beterbiev against the calculated movement and boxing of Bivol.
In an interview with Queensberry Promotions, Beterbiev was clear that he would not be looking past Bivol but said that a win would complete his journey in the 175 ranks and could see him move up to cruiserweight.
“For this category I think this is the main goal, for this category. We’ll see after. Challenges? Maybe different categories, go up. We’ll see. I’m not focused on that [right now.]”
The jump from light-heavy to cruiser is the biggest in the sport at 15 pounds – a considerable amount of bulk to put on and a much more serious power threat looming against fighters with naturally longer reach.
Should he move up, the current champions he would meet are the IBF’s Jai Opetaia, WBA’s Gilberto Ramirez, WBC’s Noel Mikaelian and the WBO’s Chris Billam-Smith, although ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and Billam-Smith have just signed for a unification bout on November 16.
With a listed height of 5′ 11″, Beterbiev would be the smaller man in most match-ups, certainly against all of the champions listed above, but few would question his power still having the same brutal sting that has carried him through his campaign with a 100% knockout ratio.
First up is the tall task of handing Bivol his first ever defeat in what most regard as a pick ’em fight.
