Roy Jones Jr. says he believes Dmitry Bivol will beat Artur Beterbiev in their undisputed light heavyweight championship due to his mobility and boxing skills.
Beterbiev has beaten movers in the past, so it might not help Bivol if he chooses to use his in & out style of fighting against him.
Toe-to-Toe or Outboxing?
Jones Jr. feels that IBF, WBC & WBO 175-lb champ Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) can win if WBA champ Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) fights him “toe-to-toe,” but if he uses movement & boxes, then he’ll win because it will be impossible for Artur to plant his feet to load up on his shots to generate power.
Roy Jr. says that if Beterbiev doesn’t get to Bivol in the first two or three rounds, he’ll lose the fight because he’ll get outboxed. Jones Jr. points out that no one in the 175-lb division is fighting Beterbiev toe-to-toe because if they do, they’re going to sleep.
Beterbiev and Bivol are expected to meet this summer in June or July in Saudi Arabia for the four-belt undisputed championship.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh wants the winner to move up to 200 lbs to fight former IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia. However, Beterbiev’s trainer, John Scully, ruled out that idea, saying that’s not in their plans.
The Crucial Early Rounds
“You know I’m an Ali-George Foreman type guy. I’m going to go Ali over George Foreman because Foreman had massive power, but Ali had the IQ, the speed, and footwork to stay away from the power,” said Roy Jones Jr. to Fighthype, picking Dmitry Bivol to defeat Artur Beterbiev this summer for their light heavyweight undisputed championship.
“So, if Bivol can avoid him for two or three rounds, then Bivol will beat him. However, if Bivol goes out and fights him toe-to-toe, Bivol will not beat him because no one at 175 will fight Beterbiev toe-to-toe right now.”
Bivol isn’t as great of a mover as Roy Jr. thinks he is. He’s more of a straight forward, straight back type of fighter, and he fights scared when facing punchers. He almost lost to Craig Richards, who put pressure on him.
The Question of Beterbiev’s Mobility
“If you fight Beterbiev toe-to-toe right now, you’re going to sleep,” said Jones Jr. “That’s quite obvious, but having the footwork that Bivol, you make him move before he punches, then it becomes a little more difficult for Beterbiev because he can punch standing there, but can he punch like that when he’s moving?
“Can he be mobile and have that much power? That’s a big question. So, in a long fight, and Bivol got past round two, I’d definitely say Bivol can win the fight. But if Bivol goes and fights the wrong fight, then Artur wins.
