Dmitry Bivol says he understands he must try a different strategy to win a rematch with undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in their 60-day fight on February 22 in Riyadh.
Can Bivol change?
In order for Bivol to win the rematch, he must change his fighting style from being defensive to being aggressive and staying in the pocket. With his weak chin, lack of strength, age, and reluctance to be beaten, it is unlikely that Bivol will change. She is 34 years old, and she is beautiful in her ways.
Former WBA 175-lb champion Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) was tight-lipped, but spent a lot of time running away from Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) after surprising him with a solid shot. in the seventh round.
Bivol, 34, showed no desire to hang on after that round, and the final five rounds were one long bitter retreat. It was eye-opening to see Bivol giving up and running away, giving up the fight and thinking only of survival; he showed weakness and unwillingness to fight. Beterbiev took advantage of Bivol’s reluctance to fight.
I don’t know what would change in a replay. If a fighter is afraid, as Bivol has shown, that does not change in the competition. That fear is still there. He gets the same results in the rematch, the fans go home unhappy.
Turki Alalashikh should have matched Beterbiev against David Benavidez, Joshua Buatsi, or David Morrell instead of scheduling a rematch with Bivol. Dmitry should have gotten a rematch by going through one or two of those heroes rather than it being given to him after his loss.
The scores were 116-112, 115-113 for Beterbiev, and 114-114. Some boxing fans feel that 116-112 is too wide, but it shows that Bivol could not stand and fight. He used a hit-and-dash style, which shows that he is not willing to fight. No wonder Bivol’s fists were powerless because his mind was focused on escaping. In other words, Bivol was just a waste.
Sixty Days of Change
Dmitry’s fans believed that he had done enough to earn the victory, but it was clear to everyone that Beterbiev dominated the last six rounds, putting fear into him. Beterbiev exposed Bivol for lacking courage under fire. We had already seen Bivol look scared when Lyndon Arthur hurt him in the eighth round on December 23, 2023.
“I have another chance [Turki Alalshikh] he spoke about this day the day after the fight. He wanted to repeat this day. He asked me, he asked Beterbiev and he said yes, and since that day I’ve had it in my head that I will get this chance again,” said Dmitry Bivol in Fighthype about getting another chance to fight Artur Beterbiev.
“Yes, I have to do something different and I know what I will add, I know what I will change a little bit.”
The Rabbit and the Wolf
Turki gave Bivol another chance, but it won’t help him unless he fights with more heart, and stops being the shy rabbit he was last time. Beterbiev was chasing him around the ring like a wolf in the latter half of the fight, and it looked like Bivol was defiant. He was hoping to win a bad decision.
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