Trainer Abel Sanchez believes that IBF, WBC & WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev will be too powerful for the highly tecnical WBA champ Dmitry Bivol if the two meet this year for the undisputed 175-lb championship in Saudi Arabia.
Sanchez says Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) is a 175-pounder with the power of a 200-pounder, meaning he’s cruiserweight level punching ability, and he feels that he’s going to hurt Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) whever he hits him.
Abel says a fighter that he’s trained, WBA cruiserweight champion Arsen Goulamirian, told him that Beterbiev was the hardest puncher he’d worked with after sparring with him.
Lyndon Arthur, who isn’t a big puncher, hurt Bivol to the body in their fight on December 23rd last month in Riyadh, and Sanchez believes that Beterbiev and his coach, Marc Ramsay, will study that and target that same area.
Of course, Beterbiev can hurt Bivol anywhere, as he’s got the kind of power that does damage whereever hie lands. Beterbiev still needs to defend against Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) on January 13th for him and Bivol to fight for the undisputed. The Beterbiev-Smith fight will be taking place at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada.
Beterbiev’s Power and Bivol’s Vulnerability:
“You look at the two fights. Canelo is a 147-pounder and the other guy [Dmitry Bivol] was a full 175-pounder,” said Abel Sanchez to Fight Hub TV. “I have a fighter Arsen Goulamirian, who is a WBA cruiserweight champion.
Sanchez is talking about Bivol having too much size for the much smaller 5’8″ Canelo Alvarez in their fight in May 2022.
Bivol won’t be able to count on having the size advantage against Beterbiev, and the combinations won’t work against him like they did against Canelo. It would be risky for Bivol to try and throw combinations against Bivol, as he’ll get countered with something big.
“I worked with him since 2016, and he said that he spared with Artur Beterbiev back in 2014 or 2013, and he said that’s the strongest guy he’s ever sparred with in any division,” said Sanchez about cruiserweight Goulamirian. “The strongest body-wise, the heaviest puncher, the heaviest hands.
“So, I tend to think that Beterbiev will be able to beat Bivol, even though Bivol is one of the soundest fighters technical-wise that I’ve ever seen in a long, long time, but I think Beterbiev is going to be able to overpower him, outmuscle him, walk him down, and eventually catch him. I think Beterbiev wins the fight,” said Sanchez.
“Oh, he’ll [Beterbiev] beat Callum Smith, but I think Marc Ramsay, his coach, is a very smart coach, and he will have noticed that, and he will work on trying to get that shot in,” said Sanchez about Bivol being susceptible to getting hurt to the body, as Lyndon Arthur showed in their fight on ‘The Day of Reckoning’ card last month on December 23rd in Saudi Arabia.
“If not, he’ll [Beterbiev] will be too strong and muscle him. I know Bivol will tie him up and negate anything that Beterbiev [does], but he’ll be too strong for him. Beterbiev is a 200-pounder [cruiserweight] in a 175-pound body. I think he’ll eventually be too strong.
Hit and Move vs. Brick Wall
“Yeah, I think he’s capable of doing that. I just don’t see it happening,” said Sanchez about Bivol potentially being able to hit & move all night to win a twelve round decision against Beterbiev]. Remember, he’s [Bivol] not punching a guy like Canelo, where he can throw five or six punches, and Canelo wasn’t going to fire back.
“He’s punching at a guy [Beterbiev] that is a brick wall that is very, very strong and is a very hard puncher himself. So, anything that Beterbiev hits him with is going to hurt him. If the last guy [Lyndon Arthur] was able to hurt him [Bivol] to the body, Beterbiev is going to hurt him anywhere he hits him.
“I asked Beterbiev, and he said that’s what they want. They want that fight for the undisputed,” said Marcos Villegas about Beterbiev telling him that the Saudis want the undisputed light heavyweight championship next with Bivol if he defeats Callum Smith on January 13th.
“That’s a big fight,” said Sanchez on the Beterbiev vs. Bivol clash. “So was [IBF light welterweight champion Subriel Matias] when he fought [Shohjahon] Ergashev.”
