By Ken Hissner: Over the weekend, we watched Russian-born WBC, WBO, and IBF World Light Heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev out of Montreal, Canada, defend his titles in a much more difficult match than expected before stopping the UK’s Anthony Yarde in eight rounds.
After seven rounds, Yarde was up on two of the judge’s scorecards by 68-65 and 67-66 while behind on the third card by 67-66.
Beterbiev, 19-0, scored his nineteenth consecutive stoppage in making his UK pro debut at the Wembley Arena. Both boxers were cut in the sixth round. It wasn’t the first time Beterbiev had been cut. After the fight, he said he looked forward to meeting Bivol in a unification bout.
Bivol, 21-0 with eleven stoppages in May, defeated 4-belt holder Super Middleweight world champion Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 57-1-2, by scores of 115-113 though I didn’t think it was that close. There has since been talk of a rematch at super middleweight.
In Bivol’s last match in November, he easily defeated the former WBO Super Middleweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, 44-0, by scores of 117-111 twice and 118-110. This earned Bivol “Fighter of the Year” honors for the most part.
In the amateurs per Boxrec, Beterbiev was 96-10 with 24 stoppages from 2002 to 2012, losing to the now-current WBO, WBA, and IBF World Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for a second time, who was 88-15 in the 2012 London Olympic Games Quarterfinal with Usyk going onto win the Gold Medal.
In Kyrgyzstan, Bivol was 90-11, with just three stoppages also fighting out of Russia from 2005 to 2014. Bivol is 32 and Beterbiev 38.
Beterbiev turned professional in June of 2013 and in his sixth fight, won the NABA title knocking out former IBF Light Heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud 24-2. In his next fight, he added the IBF North American and WBO NABO titles knocking out Jeff Page, Jr., 15-0.
Two fights later, Beterbiev added the WBO International title by stopping Alexander Johnson, 16-2, in his USA debut in Chicago.
In November of 2017, Beterbiev won the IBF World title knocking out Enrico Koelling, 23-1, of Germany. In October of 2019, he added the WBC title, stopping Oleksandr Gvozdyk 17-0. In June of 1922, he added the WBO world title by stopping Joe Smith, Jr., 28-3, of the USA at Madison Square Garden.
Bivol turned professional in November of 2014, winning his first three matches by stoppage in Russia before coming to the USA and knocking out Felipe Romero, 19-8-1, for the WBC Silver Light Heavyweight title in Costa Mesa, California.
In Bivol’s next fight, he added the WBA Inter-Continental title stopping Jackson Dos Santos, 17-4, in Russia. Two fights later, he added to the WBA Interim World title defeating Dominican Felix “Mangu” Valera, 13-0.
In November of 2017, Bivol won the WBA World title knocking out Australia’s Trent Broadhurst, 20-1, in Monte Carlo in his twelfth fight. He has defended that time nine times.
There you have it fight fans comparing the knockout artist Beterbiev, 19-0 (9), to the boxer-puncher Bivol, 21-0 (11). Where the fight will be held will probably be the biggest question. Beterbiev and Bivol are both promoted by Andrey Ryabinsky’s World of Boxing so there shouldn’t be a problem meeting.