Author: Sean Close
“I think that is the most difficult test,” states WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in reference to Artur Beterbiev, a fellow light heavyweight titlist. “Why? Because he’s stronger. I know he’s physically stronger than Canelo (Alvarez).” Bivol defeated Canelo a few years ago, so these words hold weight. “He also has good technique,” Bivol continued of Beterbiev. “A lot of people talk about his power, but they forget about his technique, because his power is much better than his technique. But he still has great technique. Masu.”
A potential fight between Bivol and Beterbiev for the undisputed world light heavyweight championship is highly anticipated. “First of all, he’s strong, very strong,” Bivol said. “He’s like a stone. His punches are very powerful and his body is hard. He believes in himself very much. He has experience, a lot of experience. He doesn’t have many fights, but he has a lot of amateur experience. That helps him. He uses body shots with his right hand – it’s a good body shot. And he’s strong, which is one of the most important things. “One”
Bivol also believes that the undefeated Beterbiev is not invincible. “We’re all humans,” he says. “We all have our weak sides. We all have our good sides. Even he, in his last fight, we saw some moments where he wasn’t good. I think for him I just need to create as many uncomfortable moments as possible, and I shouldn’t let him create uncomfortable moments for me. That’s it. It’s easy to be honest. You don’t have to think too much. Just do your job. Please. I have to do my job, and I know that if I do my job well, I can win.”
Overall, Bivol appreciates the opportunity to prove himself against high-level competition. “I love boxing,” he says. “I like smart boxing and I want to believe that I’m showing people this boxing. You have to be better than power or speed. I hope skill wins. I’m good enough to win this fight. I hope I have the skills and I will push myself to make it happen.”
