Teddy Atlas Says Bivol Beats Beterbiev
Teddy Atlas is backing Dmitry Bivol to beat Artur Beterbiev in an Undisputed Light Heavyweight Showdown.
Bivol and Beterbiev won their last fights to set up the undisputed bout, which is likely to take place in Saudi Arabia. Bivol beat Lyndon Artur unanimously, while Beterbiev knocked out Callum Smith to keep his 100 percent knockout rate.
The fight is seen as a contrasting style, as Bivol’s boxing ability will be tested against one of boxing’s most destructive punchers. Atlas expects Bivol to keep things long, box behind his jab, and use the range to his advantage. That will neutralise any attacks from Beterbiev, who will likely get tagged as he comes in on the inside.
Atlas On Bivol-Beterbiev
“I think that Bivol beats him. I think that Bivol controls range, he counter-punches well, and he is defensively very solid, but here is the most important reason why I give Bivol a chance: he is mentally solid, too. You have got to be mentally solid; forget about the physical stuff.
“Yeah, you have got to be good, but that brain has got to be surrounded by titanium. I don’t mean to keep the blows from hurting you; I mean to keep the pressure from sinking, melting, and evaporating you. He has got that warrior spirit, he has got it, he just approaches it differently [than Beterbiev], he uses different weaponry, that’s all,” Atas said
Bivol On Beterbiev
Bivol is backing himself to exploit Beterbiev’s weaknesses. The Russian is 38 years old, showing that Beterbiev is at the latter end of his career. He was repeatedly hit in the Anthony Yarde fight but returned with a spectacular performance to stop Smith. But father time is a serious consideration for all boxers, which could play out in the Bivol fight.
Bivol is fairly fresh, having not fought in a year before he returned to box on Artur in December last year. Bivol fell short of explaining what weaknesses he saw in Beterbiev, but he is prepared to do the necessary groundwork to give him the best chance of winning. A victory makes him undisputed, leaving him a chance to move down to 168 to target Canelo’s undisputed titles or move up to cruiserweight. But before that can happen, he must get past Beterbiev.
“We saw some of the moments that wasn’t good. I just need to create as many moments as I can to make it not comfortable fo him, and I shouldn’t let him create moments that aren’t comfortable for me. That’s it. We don’t have to think about it too much. Just do your work, and I have to do my work. I know I can win if I do my work well. Yeah, he does a lot of pressure, and sometimes I use this pressuring on my sparring,” Bivol stated
It is a career-defining fight for both boxers, as one fighter will lose their undefeated record, with nowhere to hide. Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
