Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol are set to square off next month to crown the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion since Roy Jones Jr.
The two pound-for-pound stars bring to the ring an intriguing clash of styles, Beterbiev with the ferocious power that has seen him end every contest via knockout against Bivol’s calculated and composed boxing that, despite only scoring him one stoppage in his last ten fights, gets the job done with relative ease every single time.
After years of waiting for the clash and both men dominating the division up against all comers, as well as an initial postponement due to a training injury on Beterbiev’s part, the champions will finally meet on a Riyadh Season show on October 12 in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to FightHype, Jones said Bivol should win the fight and discussed what his plan should be to do so – patience.
“I think Bivol has the better chances going in because he’s more of a boxer who also can punch, but Beterbiev is one of the best punchers we’re probably ever gonna see for his weight class. So he’s always dangerous, but he’s been down a few times too … If Bivol can use his feet to avoid the power for the first three, four rounds, Bivol should win the fight. But if he gets caught, you don’t know, cause I ain’t never seen him get caught by a guy who punches with the velocity that Artur punches with.”
