Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol might just be the best match-up that can be made in world boxing right now.
Bivol is an outstanding, long-time WBA light-heavyweight titlist who dominated Canelo Alvarez when the Mexican superstar stepped up to 175lbs and handed Gilberto Ramirez, now a cruiserweight world champion, a first professional defeat.
Meanwhile Beterbiev has cut a swathe through the division as he has unified the WBC, WBO and IBF championships.
Beterbiev has stopped every opponent he’s faced. He is 39 years old but still looked in astonishing form in his most recent fight when he knocked out Britain’s Callum Smith.
Both Bivol and Beterbiev are unbeaten, and so far neither has come close to losing.
In terms of style, gifted mover Bivol and destructive puncher Beterbiev are the perfect foils for one another.
“I’ve said it on numerous occasions, I just feel like for a fight fan it doesn’t get any better than this. It’s the two best light-heavyweights in the world, unquestionably. It’s a pure pick ’em fight,” Eddie Hearn, who promotes Bivol, told Sky Sports.
“Stylistically it’s a great fight. The only person who can beat Artur Beterbiev is Dmitry Bivol. Simple as that. It doesn’t mean he will. But he’s the only person who can do it.
“The best way to describe this fight – Beterbiev’s like a ticking time bomb,” he continued. “You’ve got to slow the clock so that you finish the fight without it exploding.
“He’s going to get you but how can you use your feet, how can you use your IQ?”
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WBA light-heavyweight Dmitry Bivol, the holder of the WBA belt, has his own game plan on how to beat Artur Beterbiev
Bivol and Beterbiev fight for the undisputed light-heavyweight world championship this Saturday on the bumper Riyadh Season bill featuring Fabio Wardley’s heavyweight rematch with Frazer Clarke, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
It will be fascinating to see how Beterbiev-Bivol plays out.
“What is Beterbiev going to do early in this fight? Is he just going to go out super-aggressive? I think he might,” Hearn said.
“He doesn’t do a lot early on but he does enough to still win rounds. Against Callum he wasn’t really doing anything but he was 5-0 up [after the first five rounds].
“With Bivol, he must be up after six rounds. And not 3-3, he must be 5-1 up. You’ve got to start and bank rounds,” Hearn added.
“By the time it gets to eight or nine and he’s getting desperate, he’s going to make mistakes and you’re landing on him cleaner, but you’re half holding on maybe. It could be like that. [Bivol] could be well up and then in the 10th and 11th [be holding on].
“I want to be watching fights like this. I want my heart beating out of my chest.”
Beterbiev is at an advanced stage of his career though. While demand to see it has only built, the fight has been a long time in the making.
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Some of the fighters on this Saturday’s blockbuster card give their thoughts as fight week begins
“It could have been one of the best fights years ago too. Beterbiev’s 39 now,” trainer Joe Gallagher said.
“Look back at when [Sugar Ray] Leonard fought [Thomas] Hearns. They were in their early 20s. All those great fights of that era, they were in their 20s. We didn’t have to wait till they were in their 30s.
“It’s a great fight and it’s the first undisputed in 25 years. We could have done with it a little bit sooner, but still a great fight.”
Top Rank chief operating officer Brad Jacobs still considers it one of the best match-ups possible in the sport.
“It certainly seems that way. You’ve got two undefeated guys, there’s so much on the line here,” he told Sky Sports.
“Not only just winning the fight. Who’s undefeated? Who sets themselves up for the Hall of Fame? Who’s the undisputed champion? There’s so much going on. Going back to Roy Jones, who was the last undisputed champion, it’s such a huge fight
“And there hasn’t been one in the four-belt era either.”
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Rulers of the light heavyweight division Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol went head to head at the London press conference for their October 12 fight
‘One of the best fights in our time’
World champion and Sky Sports boxing expert Natasha Jonas said: “That’s one of the best fights in our time.
“We all thought Canelo would do something [against Bivol]. We didn’t think it would be that easy for Bivol and he still didn’t get into fourth, fifth, sixth gear. He was still comfortable.
“He does enough all the time to win the round comfortably but he doesn’t necessarily expend more energy than he needs to. Which people might say is smart, but when you need to, can you do it if you haven’t done it before?
“We haven’t had a light-heavyweight undisputed champion in 20 years,” she added. “That’s a long time and to have two undefeated fighters… Someone’s 0 is going to go and that’s the beauty of it.”
Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke is part of a packed show on Sky Sports Box Office
Former European champion Spencer Oliver said: “The best fight that can be made in the sport right now and one of the best fights in light-heavyweight history and I think that is pretty much where we’re at.
“You’ve got to go back to when Roy Jones became undisputed 20 years ago. That’s how often it comes around and you look at this one and none of us know [who’ll win]. We don’t know until that first bell goes.”
Fabio Wardley’s huge rematch with Frazer Clarke is on the epic Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol bill on Saturday October 12 live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book Wardley vs Clarke 2 and Beterbiev vs Bivol now!