Dmitry Bivol has discussed his toughest test as Saudi Arabia begins attempts to take a super-fight with Artur Beterbiev to the Middle East.
The WBA light-heavyweight champion believes a potential undisputed clash with the IBF, WBC, and WBO ruler would be the most challenging test of his career.
Bivol [22-0, 11 KOs] famously handed Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez only his second career loss. He outpointed the multi-weight World Champion at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in May 2022.
In a recent interview, the 33-year-old set up a mouth-watering showdown with his compatriot Beterbiev.
Dmitry Bivol sizes up Artur Beterbiev
“To be honest, I believe that it is the hardest test,” said Bivol on the Matchroom Boxing‘ Flash Knockdown’ podcast. “Why? Because he is stronger.
“I know that he is physically stronger than Canelo. He has good technique, too. Many people talk about his power but forget about his technique because it is so much better than his technique. He still had good technique.”
He elaborated by stating: “First of all, he is strong, very strong. He’s like stone. His punches are very hard, and his body is hard.
“He believes in himself a lot. He has experience, a lot of experience. If you look at his pro record, he doesn’t have too many fights, but he has a lot of experience in the amateurs.
“It helps him. He uses body shots with his right hand – it’s a good body shot. And he’s strong. This is one of the most important things.
“We’re all human. We all have weak sides. We all have good sides. Even him, we saw some moments in which he wasn’t good in his last fight.
“I just need to create as many moments as I can that aren’t comfortable for him, and I shouldn’t let him create moments that are uncomfortable for me.
“That’s it. It’s easy to be honest. We don’t need to think about it too much. Just do your work. I have to do my work and know I can win if I do my work well.”
The unbeaten pound-for-pound star is fresh from a shutout points win over Britain’s Lyndon Arthur on last month’s vast ‘Day of Reckoning’ event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Bivol vs Beterbiev
A return to the Kingdom could be on the cards later this year if a dream showdown between Bivol and Beterbiev gets over the line.
“I’m happy that everything was under my control. I felt good for all 12 rounds. I was breathing well, and I kept my health. Now, I am excited to have another fight. I didn’t damage my body too much with my last fight. I have the strength to fight again.”
Beterbiev looked destructive as he continued his reign as unified 175 champ by wiping out Liverpool’s Callum Smith in seven rounds at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada, last week.
In addition, Bivol believes he possesses the skills to inflict a first career defeat on the 39-year-old powerhouse.
“Of course, I watched the fight,” said Bivol. “I wasn’t surprised too much, to be honest. Beterbiev was as good as I expected to be against Smith. I didn’t see something new. He was powerful like he was before, and he did his job well.
“I thought he would win. But I didn’t have any expectations of how he would win. I just felt like he should win. He won like he won, and I wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t surprised that he was coming too close to Smith easily. He just did his job well.
“I love boxing so much. I like smart boxing, and I want people to believe I’m showing them this boxing. It should be better than power or just speed.
“I hope the skills should win. I hope I have enough skills to win this fight. But I will push myself to do it.”
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