Bernstein On Boxing: Beterbiev vs. Bivol

My goal in this column is to examine the Dimitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev fight with an eye toward its historical significance. An easy way to start and end this discussion of historical significance would be to say that this is the only time in the four belt era that we have had an undisputed light heavyweight title fight.

So, that’s it. OK? Well, I probably owe the editors of The Ring Magazine and most importantly all of you perhaps less than that.

I’m actually going to look at this megamatch from three angles:

1. What does the past look like in terms of title matches at this stage?

2. Titles aside, how do you feel this match compares to others in terms of importance and relevance to the current state of boxing?

And 3. How good is this boxing game considering its place among the greats?

Those are my marching orders for myself and off we go on our journey.

The four belt era – where you need the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts to be considered the undisputed champion – began in 2007 and as mentioned, the sport will be a unicorn until now. Time. The era of three belts (WBC, WBA and IBF) lasted from 1983 to 2007 and two fighters held undisputed titles – Roy Jones Jr. and Michael Spinks.

In the two-belt era from 1963 to 1983 (WBC and WBA) six boxers were undefeated champions. This great team was Harold Johnson, Willie Pastrano, Jose Torres, Dick Tiger, Bob Foster and Spinks. All three undisputed champions are members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. It’s not unreasonable to think that the winner of Bivol-Beterbiev greatly improves his chances of being included in Canastota (although both men may end up being kept there).

Although all of these men were undisputed champions, few took part in significant combinations as we will see with Bivol and Beterbiev. There are only two games for the combination of all these same men. (Now, don’t jump on social media and start sending me hate mail – I’m NOT SUGGESTING that these men and other champions didn’t have HUGE and reasonable flights that could be compared to the current game. I’m just saying the combination is similar, the number of positive comparisons to this is limited.)

The first that warrants comparison involved all-time great Bob Foster taking out Vincente Rondon in 1972. Foster held both the WBC and WBA titles from 1968 to 1970 and defended them four times. Prior to his defense against Hal Carroll, the WBA stripped him of the title, causing a public rift between Foster and the governing body. Rondon then won the vacant WBA title and defended it four times. As Foster and the boxing community demanded, a rematch was scheduled for April 1972 between Foster and Rondon.

Bob Foster finishes Vicente Rondon with a right after hitting his opponent with a left in the second round of their light heavyweight unification bout. Image: Bettmann Collection / Getty Images

The bad blood leading up to this fight continued at the weigh-in when Rondon’s weight was announced at 177, two pounds over the limit, but boxing officials in Miami ignored that and continued as if he had made weight. Foster and his team were furious. On fight night Rondon was actually announced as 175 pounds. To many onlookers Rondon, who was boldly confident in the build-up to the fight, looked shy and intimidating as he entered the ring. Foster later said more than that he was “scared to death.” Well, that’s how he fought. Foster came out on fire and completely controlled the action. In the second round he put Rondon down for a layup and secured the victory and the title he felt was unfairly taken from him. He said after the fight, “I wanted it to go 15 rounds to punish him. I hate him and I hate the WBA.” Well then, there was no doubt where Bob stood on things. However, although the relationship was strained, Foster would continue to hold the WBA title until he retired from boxing.

After 21 years the light heavyweight team would find themselves split again. Michael Spinks held the WBA version of the title and Dwight Muhammad Qawi was the WBC champion. Both were defending their crowns against top fighters and the public wanted them to fight. It happened on March 18, 1983. I was there at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City with a full house of boxing fans. The atmosphere was electric and professional and the fans alike were anticipating a fight between the two men. It turned out to be a bad affair with Spinks being the perfect puncher and keeping the charging Qawi at bay with a flurry of punches. Spinks came away with a close but unanimous decision.

Michael Spinks defeated Dwight Muhammad Qawi in their 15 round fight for the WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine light heavyweight titles on March 18, 1983 at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

The lead up to that fight is very similar to Bivol-Beterbiev – different opinions on the outcome and high expectations of what will happen.

The main difference between these two light super heavyweight fights of the past and Bivol-Beterbiev is that boxing was not broken back then and the need for a better fight was felt and often more achievable. Therefore, it only took about two years of different titles for these games to emerge.

The drumbeat of the Bivol-Beterbiev fight is at least five years old – probably more. Both of them faced good competition and together they fought almost everyone known in their division – except each other.

Another difference is that back in the days of these old mergers (especially Qawi vs Spinks) they weren’t ONLY light heavyweight fights.

There were so many terrific men in the 175-pound division and they all fought each other that having a big and exciting light heavyweight fight was less like a calendar event and more like any regular old Saturday.

Not so these days. With fighters fighting less, and less than impressive splits likely, having Bivol-Beterbiev seems more important to the weight class and boxing as a whole.

Despite the low comparisons of this era to other era light heavyweights, make no mistake, this fight deserves to be talked about in the same spirit as the greats of old. The 1970’s and ’80’s were the golden years for the division but if Bivol and Beterbiev were roaming the world in those days I guarantee you they would be fighting for titles and engaging in classic battles with those men.

This is a great fight because these two men are special soldiers and beat other strong soldiers in their division. Bivol added more spice to the mix by bringing back the challenge of being the undisputed champion (and biggest star in the sport) in his weight class.

Dmitry Bivol (left) on the attack of Canelo Alvarez (right) – Photo by Ed Mulholland/Game Room

So, will this fight do what many, but not all, of the most powerful fights do on fight night? I think the answer is probably yes. It’s an amazing combination of styles even if some were too light in their approach to this fight. It is a misnomer to say that it is a pure boxer’s game (Bivol) versus a puncher (Beterviev). Even though Beterbiev is a lethal puncher who has knocked out ALL his opponents as a professional, he is also a skilled professional in the ring with a high boxing IQ. As for Bivol, though nine of his last 10 fights have gone the distance and he’s a natural boxer and has shown enough pop to sustain his opponents and fight off his front foot. He certainly did that against Canelo Alvarez.

Two things work against Beterbiev. The first is the injury that caused this fight to be rescheduled and the second is his age. He’s been great in recent fights and has shown no signs of slowing down, but he’s 39 and by any standard an advanced fighter. What helps him the most is that he can hurt anyone in the ring and the power is endless.

Whether it’s in a bar or on social media, boxing fans have had some interesting discussions and debates about the sport. Even if some may not agree with the result, I feel that there is unity in the fact that it will be an award fight worth watching.

Artur Beterbiev punishes Callum Smith in the WBC/IBF/WBO light heavyweight title fight at the Videotron Center in Quebec City, Canada. (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)

It exists in a category that has produced amazing battles in the past. Visions of Micheal Spinks, Matthew Saad Muhamad, Bob Foster, Archie Moore, Yaqui Lopez, Roy Jones Jr., Victor Galindez, Antonio Tarver, Sergey Kovalev, Marvin Johnson, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and many others will dance in our minds as we think. for the beauty of this category and enjoy the current incarnation of the greatness at 175 pounds.

I have been trying to see more of the best. I look forward to seeing more on October 12th.