By: Sean Crose
One of the most anticipated fights in boxing will finally be going down Saturday in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, fans will finally get to see the 23-0 Dmitry Bivol square off against the 20-0 Artur Beterbiev. The winner will not only become the undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world. He will also be recognized as a legitimate legend in a truly legendary weight division. There’s a reason this fight has been so looked forward to. Beterbiev has stopped every last one of his opponents. Every. Last. One. And Bivol? He’s won against none other than Canelo Alvarez. The Canelo Alvarez.
Bivol was simply too tall for his famous opponent in that bout. While it was true that Sergey Kovalev had also been taller than Canelo when they fought a few years back, the legendary Mexican was able to eventually break his man down. Bivol wasn’t about to let that happen against Canelo. For one thing, Bivol employed excellent footwork while facing the red haired star. What’s more, Canelo’s power was unable impact Bivol in any meaningful away. There’s more to Bivol, however than just an ability to take a shot from the likes of Canelo. There’s a twitchiness to his style which makes the man very hard to time. Bivol can frustrate his opponent – which is a powerful ability to possess in the fight ring.
Beterbiev, on the other gloved hand, is a force – and absolute, complete, destructive force. If anyone can overwhelm Bivol, it might be the knockout machine that is Artur Beterbiev. This has almost as much to do with skill as it does raw power. Beterbiev’s punch placement is extraordinary. What’s more, he can stop opponents who fight on their rear foot as well as he can those who fight off the front foot – something not all power punchers are able to do. Perhaps most importantly, Beterbiev is a finisher, a man who can close the show at a moment’s notice and without hesitation.
What’s most interesting about Saturday’s fight is that neither man has ever faced anyone quite like the other. While Bivol defeated a king when he bested Canelo, that was a version of Canelo who was out of his natural habitat. It’s easy to forget that Canelo once fought Floyd Mayweather at junior middleweight. And while it’s true Bivol was able to handily best Canelo, it was a version of Canelo that was essentially trying to cross a bridge too far. In Beterbiev, Bivol will be facing someone more naturally his size. Not that it may make a bit of difference in the end.
There’s no telling whose going to win this one.