Beterbiev And Bivol’s Final Presser: Key Quotes

Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol held their final presser before their Undisputed Light Heavyweight Clash on Saturday. 

Beterbiev will hope to repeat the lessons from the first fight where he beat Bivol by a majority decision. The result divided some in the boxing community as Bivol felt he had done enough to secure the win. Beterbiev’s increased output was enough to get the decision, as Bivol suffered his first loss. Bivol can avenge that loss and secure himself a trilogy. David Benavidez will be in attendance, who is the WBC mandatory for the winner. There are also suggestions that Canelo Alvarez could target the winner and chase undisputed at 175 pounds. 

Their fight becomes even more important in light of the co-main event. In chief support, Joseph Parker will now face Martin Bakole. The fight was made after Daniel Dubois pulled out at the last minute on medical grounds. It was the second time that a fighter on the card withdrew. Floyd Schofield did the same against Shakur Stevenson, leading to many last-minute changes. Parker must now face the knockout artist Bakole, who secured his best win against Jared Anderson in his last fight. That was the first loss that Anderson had faced in his career; he was seen as the danger man in the division. Here were the key comments from the headlining fighters.

Presser

“I want to defend my belts. It’s very simple. I was happy with the first fight because I won. There are many things {I learned}. It’s too long to tell you. Let’s talk after the fight. We’ll do something different for this fight. We’re working on it. Don’t miss our fight. It’s going to be a good fight,” Artur Beterbiev

“All athletes want to win. Just like gamblers. Of course, I didn’t win last time. And I really want to win. It’s burning inside of me. I want to change something because I can see where I was wrong at some points. And I want to change it. As an athlete, I want that.

“Every time when you exchange punches, it’s a risk. With a fighter like Beterbiev, it’s a risk when you exchange punches. And, yes, sometimes I need to do it. If you liked the fight, I’m sure that the second fight will not be less interesting than the first fight. Watch the fight on February 22,” Dmitry Bivol

“You don’t know what to believe these days. But there are unconfirmed reports that back in Canada, Artur Beterbiev does own a copy of my book. He bought the latest Men’s Health magazine with me on the cover and has pre-ordered the Eddie Hearn pajamas that drop in 2025,” Eddie Hearn 

Full Card

Joseph Parker vs Martin Bakole 

Shakur Stevenson vs Josh Padley 

Carlos Adames vs Hamzah Sheeraz 

Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Israil Madrimov 

Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel

Joshua Buatsi vs Callum Smith 

Ziyad Al Maayouf vs Jonatas de Oliveira

Mohammed Alakel vs Engel Gomez

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