Watching two of the very best fighters in the world challenge themselves against one another never loses its fascination.
That will be the case when Artur Beterbiev rematches Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light-heavyweight world championship on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
When they first met in October, the two were rival champions, both unbeaten and neither man had ever come close to losing.
Bivol had handed Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez a comprehensive defeat as well as overcoming a litany of other top-class opponents. An expert mover with outstanding footwork, precise timing and accurate stern punching, he was – and remains – the perfect foil for Beterbiev.
Beterbiev had wrecked every professional opponent he’d faced, but Bivol became the first man to take him the distance when they boxed through the course of 12 outstanding rounds last year.
But Bivol didn’t beat him. He lost a majority decision, which divided opinion and left his team raging over the result.
Artur Beterbiev couldn’t resist aiming a dig in Eddie Hearn’s direction, who is the promoter of light-heavyweight rival Dmitry Bivol.
“I still think he won. I felt for nine rounds he completely dominated the fight,” Eddie Hearn, Bivol’s promoter, told Sky Sports.
“Then he lost 10, 11, 12, which was a problem. He says that he wasn’t 100 per cent last time, which I love to hear. And if he is [this time] I think it’s going to be a very tough night for Beterbiev. But it’s going to be a tough night for Bivol. It’s a 50-50 fight.
“I felt he won last time. He’s got to do a little bit more and he’s got to get the crack of the whip with the judges.”
Beterbiev fights with a brilliant ferocity. He closes down his opponents, controls where he lets them move and unleashes huge punches that land with crunching power.
Matthew Macklin rejects claims that Artur Beterbiev’s majority decision win over Dmitry Bivol last October was a ‘robbery’ and hopes we see a third fight between the two.
Bivol cycled through his repertoire of skills in the first fight, but in the closing stages, as the final rounds ticked away, Beterbiev subjected him to a sustained onslaught. Some observers thought he hadn’t won enough rounds overall – but there was no doubt about how strongly he finished.
This week in Riyadh Beterbiev has trained with unrivalled intensity, right up to the weigh-in for the contest. Even at 40 years of age he is in superb physical condition with a degree of focus that marks him out as one of the greatest active fighters in the world today.
He has no doubt he deserved the decision in the first fight and is quite willing to settle anyone else’s doubts second time around.
Dmitry Bivol says he has been focusing on the rematch and identifying areas for improvement to succeed against Artur Beterbiev.
“It was a good experience because I won,” Beterbiev told Sky Sports.
“I did not bad,” he added, with an underlying hint of menace. “I need to do more.
“I will show you.”
Bivol himself took his first professional defeat with good grace. But he is adamant that now he knows exactly what he needs to do to beat his fearsome rival.
Anthony Yarde did not agree with the 116 to 112 scoring in the first Beterbiev-Bivol fight, but thought Beterbiev deserved to win.
“I felt that I did some good job [in the first fight] but I wasn’t too happy,” Bivol told Sky Sports. “Nothing surprised me, I was expecting that [from him] and he showed what he wanted.
“I always try to think that my opponent is the greatest opponent. He has huge high level of speed, the power, movement, everything, defence, chin – I try to think about him that he’s something unreal. And when you’re going in the ring against a man, a human, you are not surprised.
“I think I know more 1740221691 but we will see.
“I need to be also better than I was before.”
Gary Logan examined how the judges scored Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol after their close first fight.
‘Everything in the division at stake’
Earlier on the same card Britain’s Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith fight their own excellent light-heavyweight contest.
The victor of their bout will hold the WBO Interim belt, and be in prime position to challenge the Beterbiev-Bivol winner next.
Liverpool’s Smith has previously shared the ring with both Beterbiev and Bivol. He lost a world title challenge to Beterbiev a year ago, and about 13 years ago boxed Bivol in an international amateur bout.
“I knew he was a good fighter then, pretty similar to the way he fights now, quite fluent,” Smith recalled of Bivol.
“He’s achieved a lot and obviously Beterbiev’s the same.”
In the immediate aftermath of the first fight, Eddie Hearn was adamant that Dmitry Bivol should have won decision against Artur Beterbiev,
Smith added: “Everyone keeps going on about Beterbiev’s age, he can’t go on for ever. I think the last fight was a tough fight for both of them and it’ll be interesting to see how much that’s took out of him.
“I just think as time’s gone on, you’ve got to favour, I think, [that] Bivol might be that little bit fresher. But again, I think it’ll be razor tight again.
“Last time it was a very good nip-and-tuck fight and I think we’ll see the same this time.”
Buatsi wants to continue his own unbeaten run and has a keen professional eye on Beterbiev-Bivol.
“I thought Bivol won the fight. Anything else is just my opinion,” Buatsi told Sky Sports. “On paper Beterbiev got the decision.
“I had Bivol just edging it,” he added. “It’s going to be a good rematch.
“Everything in the division was at stake that night. So credit to both of them. They got together, they did it and they’re doing it again.”
The Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol rematch is live tonight on Sky Sports Box Office. Book now!
