Beterbiev vs Bivol Feature: Dmitry Bivol ‘In Focus’

Born in Kyrgyzstan, Bivol who boxes out of the orthodox stance and stands six feet tall, has been boxing from the age of six. Like most successful amateur boxers from that part of the world, Bivol was very well-trained and enjoyed a decorated amateur campaign representing Russia. Upon turning pro in 2014, Bivol showed he would be a serious contender in his weight class by winning his first six bouts by stoppage. Bivol leaped from contender to world title holder in 2017. He still holds that title today.

Although the stoppage wins have decreased considerably for Bivol as the caliber of opponent has increased, his boxing ability has always seen him win unanimously in contests that have gone the distance. With wins over Sullivan Barrera, Jean Pascal, Joe Smith Jr., and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, to name a few, Bivol’s path to Beterbiev has been very well navigated. He was rocked heavily in the Smith Jr. contest but recovered to win convincingly on the cards.

Bivol’s Recent Bouts

For boxing hardcores and casual viewers alike, the most eye-catching win on Bivol’s résumé is his May 2022 victory over Canelo. Although the bout was scored seven rounds to five by all three ringside judges (anyone who watched the fight would tell you Bivol was well in command), Bivol utilized his superb jab and footwork to keep Canelo at bay and completely control the fight. Since then, Bivol, who now trains in Indio, California, has gloved up three times. His last two bouts have taken place at Saturday’s venue, so he will be familiar with the surroundings.

Six months after defeating Canelo, Bivol faced unbeaten southpaw Gilberto Ramirez in Abu Dhabi. Despite being smaller and conceding some inches in reach to Ramirez, Bivol got behind his jab and convincingly won the fight. This effort, added to the win over Canelo, saw Bivol awarded the 2022 Fighter of the Year award by Ring Magazine.

It would be 13 months before Bivol would return to the ring. Two days before Christmas 2023, Bivol took on England’s Lyndon Arthur in Riyadh. It was a one-sided bout – Bivol swept every round on the cards and scored a knockdown with a body shot in the penultimate round. Seven months later, Bivol returned to the Kingdom Arena to face unbeaten Malik Zinad of Libya. Zinad had been a late replacement as Bivol was originally scheduled to face Beterbiev on June 1, 2024. With Beterbiev suffering a ruptured meniscus in training, Zinad stepped in with one month’s notice. For Bivol, it was that or remaining inactive until Beterbiev recovered. Bivol easily defeated Zinad, who was boxing an opponent levels above anyone he had faced before, scoring his first stoppage since his 2018 win over Barrera.

Can Bivol’s Style Defeat Beterbiev?

Now, just over four months later than originally planned, Bivol is about to go up against Beterbiev. As anyone who has watched Bivol at any stage of his career will know, he is one of the best technical boxers in the world. Being a great technician doesn’t mean you need to do anything fancy. Bivol is a great example of this, as he keeps things very simple.

Beginning with the most important thing in boxing – protect yourself at all times – Bivol employs a disciplined high guard. He doesn’t allow himself to be hit easily by opponents. From the guard comes his beautiful, snappy jab, which we have seen Bivol employ in all of his fights to dominate the range the bout is fought at and dictate the pace of the action. While his jab isn’t as monstrous as his upcoming opponent’s, it is fairly authoritative – many Bivol foes have had their spirits crushed by his jab. Like any fundamentally well-trained fighter, Bivol follows his jabs with left hooks to the head and body when the time is correct. He does this economically but is normally successful when he opens up his offensive arsenal.

Along with the high guard and disciplined jab, Bivol often fights on the back foot. He is very comfortable boxing in this manner, as opponents leave themselves open for counters when throwing leather from out of range. This is where Bivol’s superior footwork comes into play. A stretching opponent is defensively vulnerable, and Bivol exploits that with his fluid footwork. Bivol’s immense fundamentals, discipline, in-ring composure, and respectable power have carried him to this point in his career. He is comfortably a top ten pound-for-pound boxer currently, and it will take a patient fighter with absolute bricks in his fists to defeat him.

Bivol’s skills give him a chance to become the undisputed 175-pound champion on Saturday – all he needs to do is defeat a fighter who possesses the know-how and abilities to hand him his first defeat. It’s going to be fascinating.