Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev Tale of the Tape, Fight Day & Undercard

In recent years, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol have stood above the rest in the light heavyweight division. A clash between the two was nothing if not an inevitability, though at times it seemed it may never occur. It was actually scheduled earlier this year, but due to injury to Beterbiev’s meniscus, it was postponed. But the time is nigh, and on Oct 12th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, we finally get to crown the first undisputed light heavyweight champion since Roy Jones jr 22 years ago. 

Russian/Canadian, Artur Beterbiev, originally from Dagestan, moved to Montreal to begin his professional career in 2013 after finding success in the amateurs. It only took him 4 years and 11 fights to make it to his first world title when he went against Enrico Koeling to win the IBF title in 2017. After two successful defenses he landed a unification bout with Oleksandr Gvozdyk for his IBF, and Gvozdyk’s WBC and lineal titles. It was an amazing fight but ended as all Beterbiev’s do, with his hand being raised after a knockout. Three fights after that he took out the hard-hitting Joe Smith jr in June of 2022 and took his WBO title to add to the others. Since then he has defended the titles twice, against Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith extending his 100% knockout ratio.

Dmitry Bivol was born in Kyrgyzstan and raised there until the age of 11 when he moved to St Petersburg, Russia. He had a successful amateur career, as you would expect, and went pro in 2014 at age 23. 2 years after his debut he defeated Felix Valera by unanimous decision to become the Interim WBA(regular) champion. He wasn’t elevated to the WBA Super champion until 2019, 2 days before his defense against Gilbert Lenin Castillo, by then he had already marched through such fighters as Sullivan Barrera, Isaac Chilemba, Jean Pascal, and Joe Smith jr. After becoming the super champion he defended his title 3 times before the fight that would put him over in the eyes of the world at large, Saul Canelo Alvarez. Bivol to that point was well known and respected in the boxing world, but going against Canelo was a tough ask, and the more casual fanbase, who had never heard of Dmitry was expecting yet another dominant win for the undisputed super middleweight champion. Once the fight began Bivol showed his level and impressed everyone with eyes with the way he shut Canelo’s offense down while steadily implementing his own. The judges had it closer than was reasonable (115-113 x3) but it still ended with Bivol retaining his belt by unanimous decision, putting his name on the map, and for many, the pound for pound list. Dmitry Bivol has since defended his title 3 more times with the most impressive being his dismantling of Gilberto Ramirez, which most expected to be a 50/50 match up.

For the sake of simplicity this fight has been boiled down to the archetypal Boxer vs Puncher. As many other pundits have said at this point, it’s so much more than that. Beterbiev, being the puncher, has 20 wins with 20 knockouts. Heavy-handed to be sure. Dmitry Bivol, utilizing fast, in-and-out footwork and quick 1-2’s better than just about anyone fighting today, is no doubt a Boxer. That said, both of these men spent quite a bit of time in the amateur programs of Eastern Europe and were similarly successful there, indicating that neither are lacking in fundamentals or skills. It only takes watching Beterbiev face Oleksandr Gvozdyk, as just one example, to see that power, while important, comes behind a high ring IQ, tricky skill, and solid footwork. While watching Bivol keep Joe Smith jr, Canelo, and/or Zurdo Ramirez at bay, and even shutting them down, it stands to reason that he has power that at minimum is highly respectable. Bivol fights more cautiously leading to wider scorecards, less punches taken, and less knockouts. Beterbiev’s desire to take his opponent out as fast as is reasonable leads to more knockouts, but has also resulted in him having to get off of the canvas himself from time to time. Both are viable routes to victory and have served them very well to this point. 

While one may have more speed, or better footwork, or ring IQ for that matter, the separation between them is almost marginal and the only real way to tell who will win is for them to fight, which is precisely what we’ve all been waiting for all these years. Come Saturday, one of these men will have their hand raised and finally be recognized as the one true king of light heavyweight, and that’s all that really matters.

The Owens Opinion: According to the odds, the most likely scenarios are Bivol by decision or Beterbiev by knockout, both of those are good picks, but every conceivable way a fight could end is on the table here. The only way I would truly be surprised is if it ended in a no contest. Having said that, I’m picking Bivol. As highly as I rate Beterbiev, which is very high, and how full Bivol’s hands are going to be, I think he’ll make it look easy. And if the 39 year old Beterbiev proves himself to still be dangerous early in the fight, and I reckon he will, I would even go so far as to say Bivol will win by stoppage in the mid to late rounds. Bivol is a cautious fighter, and the only time you can truly feel safe across the ring from Beterbiev… is when the fight is over.