Boxing Blockbuster: Bivol vs Beterbiev Predictions

Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol face off on October 12 for the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship, as boxing pros gave their predictions. 

Beterbiev puts his WBO, WBC and IBF belts on the line, while Bivol comes with his WBA title. Beterbiev has a 20-0 record with a 100 percent knockout rate. He stopped Callum Smith in his last fight. He has never been the distance, raising question marks over whether Bivol can take him there. Bivol stopped Malik Zinad in his last to take his record to 23-0. His biggest win was against Canelo Alvarez. But he will need to go one better to become the best 175-pounder of his era.  

“I just don’t see how Bivol will keep off Beterbiev for 12 rounds. Again, I’ve been in there with him. He’s very, he’s very, um, cerebral. He’s smart in how he does things. Bivol he’s been a punch perfect boxer so far. But in terms of size, people do give him a lot of credit because of what he did with Canelo. Canelo is tiny compared to him, but Beterbiev is not so that could be the difference. But again, we’ll see it’s gonna happen,” Anthony Yarde

“Beterbiev has underrated skills. I think people think he’s just all the knockouts…But you speak to the likes of Callum Smith, you speak to Callum Johnson, the people that shared a ring with him, and they say he’s just so clever. The faints, the moves. It’s really cute. There’s a fantastic IQ there.

“Bivol is very different, very much a technical operator who has very few weaknesses, flaws. He’s watertight, another brilliant amateur, just a lovely fighter, especially if you’re a purist to watch…I’ve always sort of thought Bivol in this one..I just think he’s a master of the 12 round distance. And I think that he’s really difficult to work out, to look good against, and I just think he might be technically slightly superior to Beterbiev,” Adam Smith.

“Beterbiev is technically better than what people think. So I think he’s technically actually quite good, and he’s got a 100% knockout ratio, so he has to use that. And then Bivol is technically even better than what we think as well. We all think he’s technically good, but it’s technically probably better than we think, and he’s got to use what he uses, and his movement and everything. But it’ll be interesting…So it would be a good mix,” Joshua Buatsi

“He will be the same Beterbiev. I guarantee that. He’s different from everyone else,…Everyone that I’ve been living with is just, he’s just built differently. And yeah, I know he has an amazing team around him as well. You know, Mark Ramsey is the head coach, and the other boxing coaches..They [have covered] all the bases. He’s got the best,” Callum Simpson 

“Can’t wait for that one man, that’s going to be a fight that’s hard to pick the winner. I lean towards Bivol by decision. I just think he’s got that style that he’s not going to allow Beterbiev to step in and get close, I don’t know. But also, I wouldn’t be surprised if Beterbiev steps in and hurts him and knocks him out ’cause that guy has so much power he can knock anybody out, but I lean to Bivol by decision,” Robert Garcia.

- boxingnews.com