By: Sean Crose
“To be honest I believe that is the hardest test,” WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol says of fellow light heavyweight titlist Artur Beterbiev. “Why? Because he is stronger. I know that he is physically stronger than Canelo (Alvarez).” Considering the fact that Bivol defeated then pound for pound great Canelo a few years back those words carry weight. “He has good technique too,” Bivol continues in regard to Beterbiev. “Many people talk about his power but they forget about his technique because his power is so much better than his technique, but he still has good technique.”
The truth is that a battle between Bivol and Beterbiev for the undisputed light heavyweight championship of the world is one of the most enticing possibilities in the sport. “First of all he is strong, very strong,” says Bivol. “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.”
Still, Bivol makes it clear that he doesn’t believe the undefeated Beterbiev is unbeatable. “We’re all human,” he says. “We all have weak sides. We all have good sides. Even him, we saw some of the moments 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 I know I can win if I do my work well.”
Ultimately, Bivol comes across as a man who deeply appreciates the chance to get to prove himself against high level competition. “I love boxing so much,” he says. “I like smart boxing and I want to believe that I’m showing this boxing to the people. 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. I will push myself to do it.”
