Eddie Hearn says Dmitry Bivol can beat Artur Beterbiev by jumping out to a 6-2 lead and using the move to win on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Watch the fight live on ESPN+ in the USA and live on DAZN outside the US and Canada.
Hear the views of IBF, WBC, and WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) “comment time bomb” that can go as the cycles continue.
Matchroom promoter Hearn wants his star, WBA champion Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs), to use quick combinations, angles, and movement to prevent Beterbiev from blasting away at him.
It sounds like a good plan in theory, but Bivol is a combination puncher, and he doesn’t have a big chin, so he can’t handle body blows. Bivol is good when he is the one throwing, but he does not react well when he is returned.
We saw Bivol get hurt in the eighth round by a body shot of Lyndon Arthur last December in Riyadh. That shot took most of the battle for Bivol, as he played it safe from then on.
It was the same situation when Joe Smith Jr. staggered Bivol late in the 11th round with a hard right hand in their fight on March 9, 2019, in Verona, New York. Bivol looked drunk as he stumbled back to his corner as the round ended.
Complete Beterbiev – Saturday’s Bivol card
– Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol
– Chris Eubank Jr vs Kamil Szeremeta
– Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke II
– Jai Opetaia vs Jack Massey
– Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron
-Skye Nicolson vs Raven Chapman
– Mohammed Alakel vs Jesus Gonzalez
“If you say it’s a fan fight, then it is. I hope that many liberal people understand the importance of this boxing fight because it is actually the best compared to the best,” said Eddie Hearn speaking to BoxNation, discussing the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol light heavyweight.
“I think the only person who can beat Artur Beterbiev is Dmitry Bivol and maybe vice versa. Undisputed light heavyweight championships are on the line Saturday night. It’s almost like a ticking time bomb when you fight Artur Beterbiev. The speed of that ski depends on your speed and skill and your movement to reduce that clock because you will find it. When.”
Hearn’s idea of Bivol defeating Beterbiev would be more believable if Dmitry proves himself against skilled killers at 175, such as Joshua Buatsi, David Benavidez, and David Morrell. But given that Bivol’s best career wins have come against Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez, it’s not unreasonable to think he’ll beat Beterbiev.
The most likely scenario is that Bivol is chased and knocked out in the sixth round by Beterbiev because he is not made for this type of fight.
“So, if you’re Dmitry Bivol, what you want to do is make that clock tick and go slow,” Hearn continued. “Unfortunately, if you look at Callum Smith, in rounds four and five, that clock was here, and it was time to go.”
Smith tried to use the move against Beterbiev, but to no avail as he cut off his ring to force him to trade. Callum looked like a caged animal in the sixth, beaten by Beterbiev, and he looked hurt. We were seeing the same thing with Bivol, who doesn’t have the power of Smith.
“What Dmitry has to do is reach 6, seven, and eight without injury and the boxing is fun and go up 6-2. [on the judges’ scorecards]. He will be in a position to keep that rhythm [Beterbiev] it’s closed,” Hearn said.
Jumping Bivol to a dominant 6-2 victory over Beterbiev would be a dream come true for Hearn as he could go through the final four rounds from 9 to 12 to win a 12-round unanimous decision. That would have been a boring fight for the fans, but Hearn’s boxer, Bivol, would get the win and move on to face Canelo Alvarez in a rematch.
“This is one of the battles where you can’t just take down Bivol and put him back on the roads and take down the goods. He is there [Bivol] he’s going to be shooting back at speed, he’s going to be using angles, and you have to worry about what’s coming back again. “You can easily win battles with a good foot,” said Hearn.
Beterbiev can’t go with Bivol on the ground because even if he does, he will be caught. Beterbiev’s ability to break the ring on moves is excellent, and Bivol can’t get away from him without getting caught. We saw Oleksandr Usyk try to escape Beterbiev’s pressure at the 2012 Olympics, and he was repeatedly caught and injured in his controversial victory.
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