Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 14 KOs) is being picked by many fans to defeat undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) in their rematch this Saturday, February 22nd, live on DAZN PPV at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This is Bivol’s chance to earn a trilogy against Beterbiev, as Turki Alalshikh has already confirmed that a third fight will happen if Dmitry is victorious on Saturday. The former WBA 175-lb champion Bivol, 34, says he’s got to fight more aggressively, throw more punches, and be more willing to engage.
He’s been working on all these things and tactics to neutralize Beterbiev’s offense by tying him up to keep him from getting his shots off. We already saw many of those tactics in the first fight that Beterbiev won by a 12-round majority decision on October 12th.
Beterbiev’s Edge
“I’m picking Bivol on points this time. It’s going against the grain. I picked Bivol the first time. I had Beterbiev winning 7-5,” said Gareth A. Davies to talkSport Boxing, giving his pick for Saturday’s rematch between undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “I just think Bivol will be smarter this time around.”
“I think Beterbiev wins wider this time. He was coming off an injury [recent knee surgery] going into that last contest. The preparation may not have been as good as it was previously,” said Spencer Oliver. “I go for Beterbiev. What you see behind that monster, that wrecking ball that comes forward, is boxing IQ there. He’s smart in what he does. It’s educated pressure.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Beterbiev. It’s such a difficult pick. I’m only picking Bivol because I want the third fight,” said Gareth.
Bivol will change his fighting style from the first fight, but the only question is, will he change enough to win? For this kind of opponent, Bivol can’t afford to be more aggressive without getting beaten up and knocked out because Beterbiev hits too hard. As we saw last time, Bivol isn’t physically any tougher than the guys that Beterbiev has knocked out before. He was hurt just like them.
His wheels were the only thing that saved him from being Artur’s 21st KO victim. He went into survival mode from the sixth and caved in the final seven rounds, which is why he lost. The fans who thought Bivol deserved the win made their minds up in the first five rounds and then mentally shut down, ignoring how he fell apart in the last seven rounds.
Ortiz vs. Madrimov Preview
“I’m going Vergil Ortiz on points or even because I think he’s so brilliant, even late stoppage, ” said Davies, picking WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. over Israil Madrimov on the Beterbiev-Bivol 2 undercard.
It’s doubtful that Vergil Jr. will knock out Madrimov because that would require him to be stationary and not throw his powerful punches back at him. Madrimov hits too hard for Vergil to stay in the pocket. In his last fight against Serhii Bohachuk, he learned he couldn’t fight recklessly at 154 against quality opposition like he’d been doing when he first moved up to the weight class.
“Vergil Ortiz, 22 fights, 22 wins, 21 knockouts. Madrimov is a great fighter. He pushed Crawford all the way. He’s very, very tough,” said Spencer. “Stylistically, these two are going to clash. They’re going to meet early in the center of the ring.
“I’m picking Ortiz to win this one. It’s going to be a war, possibly a bloodbath. I think Ortiz wins, possibly by stoppage.”
“When you look at what Madrimov is made of, he’s like granite. He’s a brilliant guy,” said Gareth.
Vergil Jr. has an excellent chance of winning by outworking Madrimov the way Terence Crawford did, especially in the later rounds when he gets tired. Madrimov looked exhausted from the 10th round, holding constantly, and very uncomfortable with the inside fighting.
Last Updated on 02/16/2025
