Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol face off on October 12 in Saudi Arabia to crown the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion since the days of Roy Jones Jr.
The pair are undefeated and present an intriguing clash of styles – Bivol the pure boxer who seems not to waste even the slightest movement in the ring, Beterbiev the brawling knockout artist who has stopped every man he has faced.
Speaking to Sean Zittel, the recently crowned WBC Interim Light-Heavyweight Champion and first in line for the winner, David Benavidez, broke the fight down based on his experience sparring Bivol and being in with former Beterbiev opponent, Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
In a surprising twist, it’s Bivol – who has had one stoppage in his last ten fights – he discusses doing the hurting.
“They’re both extremely talented fighters. Two different types of fighters, though. Bivol is a boxer. He moves around a lot but he’s solid. Beterbiev is a f***ing train. He just comes at you and takes shots to give shots.
So what I’m looking at for this fight is… Bivol has the power to hurt Beterbiev, because Beterbiev has been hurt by Oleksandr Gvozdyk. I’ve sparred both and Bivol cracks harder than Oleksandr. It’s gonna be a really interesting fight. I think if Bivol stays on his feet the whole night, uses his jab, and then when they exchange he stands his ground, I think he has a really good chance of winning.
But, also, when Beterbiev gets his engine going, that motherf***er’s a train. He has, what 19 fights, 19 knockouts? It’s 50/50. A great fight.”
Benavidez recently made the official decision to stop seeking out a fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez at 168 and assume the mandatory position at 175. He is targetting the winner of the undisputed clash, pending any retirements, for May 2025.
