Beterbiev: “He is not alone at the top”, but can he stay there after Bivol 2?

Artur Beterbiev is 44 days away from his rematch against Dmitry Bivol on February 22 in Riyadh.

Undisputed light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) looks to close the chapter in his rivalry with Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) for the second time. He will do this in a way that will leave the fans and his promoter unable to complain like they have been doing 24/7.

No more mistakes

The February 22 event will air live on DAZN PPV. Several of the preliminary fights are arguably better than the main event.

Beterbiev’s 12-round majority decision victory over Bivol in their fight on October 12 last year was not decisive enough to satisfy fans and allow him to move on to bigger and better things against more popular fighters.

As such, Artur is stuck doing it again, but this time, he is expected to attack Bivol relentlessly, chasing him down to knock him out. Beterbiev’s mistakes in her fight with Bivol brought her closer than she should have been.

Bivol angered Beterbiev in the seventh round when he unleashed a four-punch combination. He was trying to do what he had done against Artur against Canelo Alvarez. That sparked Beterbiev’s competitive spirit and the lack of respect Bivol had shown, and he went after him from then on.

Can Bivol resist and deliver?

When Artur finally began to pressure Bivol non-stop, it was one-sided. Dmitry looked scared to death and unable to get up and fight. That was the interesting part. Bivol was less brave than some of Beterbiev’s recent opponents, such as Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith.

Both guys came to fight and tried to knock out Beterbiev. We didn’t see that in Bivol, who fought scared the entire second half and made the fight boring to watch. It was identical to how Dmitry fought in his match against Lyndon Arthur after being hurt by him in the championship rounds. Bivol did not want to participate in the fight against Arthur after being cut down.

Beterbiev’s mistakes

• Starting slow: He didn’t attack until the sixth round, and by then, Bivol had racked up a lot of the first five rounds. Some believe he had done enough to win all five before Beterbiev began to pressure him.
• Giving Bivol too much respect: Artur seemed worried about getting hit by Bivol’s quick combinations in the first five rounds.

“There is a saying. “At the top it’s cold and lonely.” I’m not at the top. I walk through the land. I don’t feel alone,” Artur Beterbiev told DAZN Boxing. “All my fans with me. Close and native people.”

Rain or snow the champion is 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬 💪#BetterbievBivol2 | #RiyadhSeason | February 22, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/ger97OJdgi

– DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 9, 2025