WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol looked razor-sharp today with a video of his pad work as he prepares for his clash on June 1st with IBF, WBC, and WBO champ Artur Beterbiev.
The ambitious Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) and the monstrous puncher Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) will square off at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Can Bivol Withstand Beterbiev’s Power?
Many fans feel that Beterbiev will just run over Bivol, and just be too strong for him. It will be a challenge to see if Bivol can utilize his hit-and-move style to evade the pressure and heavy shots that Beterbiev will be hitting him with during the contest.
The last thing people want is to watch Bivol move around the ring for 12 rounds, fighting to survive against Beterbiev. Hopefully, that’s not how Bivol fights on June 1st because fans view this as a potential brawl.
Unfortunately, that’s not Bivol’s style, considering he’s a technician, and he sometimes makes it boring with his get-in-and-get-out style. He used that style effectively to defeat superstar Canelo Alvarez easily in 2022, but he had a huge size advantage over the 5″ fighter that made things easier.
The unbeaten Bivol comes into the fight following a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision win over contender Lyndon Arthur last December on the Day of Reckoning card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But facing Beterbiev is a much different fight for Bivol.
The Long-Awaited Match
Bivol-Beterbiev is a contest that boxing fans look forward to, as it has been slowly ramping up for the last five years. Beterbiev has been openly frustrated in his attempts to fight Bivol, and he finally gets his wish at the ripe age of 38.
Ideally, Bivol should have fought the two-time Russian Olympian Beterbiev years ago when he was younger, but in hindsight, it makes sense for him to have waited because there’s more interest from boxing fans, and the purse will be bigger.
A Strong Undercard
The fight will be shown on DAZN, along with an interesting undercard featuring a mix of well-known fighters.
Saudi chief Turki Al-Alshikh is compiling an undercard for this event that will make it worhthwhile for boxing fans worldwide to want to watch, which a refreshing approach.
With many events, the undercard is seen as an afterthought by the promoters, who load it with prospects in mismatches to build the fighters. Saudi promoter Al-Alshikh is making sure the June 1st Bivol vs. Beterbiev card will entertain fans from top to bottom, giving them their money’s worth.
Dmitry Bivol fluid on the pads today, training for Artur Beterbiev on June 1st…
[🎥 @Bivol_D] pic.twitter.com/LyaJTum5x1
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) March 26, 2024