Dmitry Bivol says he understands he will have to try a different strategy to win the rematch with undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in their fight in 60 days on February 22 in Riyadh.
Can Bivol change?
In order for Bivol to win the rematch, he will have to change his fighting style from defensive to aggressive and staying in the pocket. Due to his fragile chin, lack of strength, age, and reluctance to strike, Bivol is unlikely to be able to change. He is 34 and quite idiosyncratic in his way.
Former WBA 175-pound champion Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) doesn’t say it outright, but he spent too much time running away from Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) after hitting him with a hard shot stunned in the seventh round.
The 34-year-old Bivol no longer showed any desire to assert himself after this round, and the last five rounds were the same a long, bitter retreat. It was eye-opening to see Bivol give up and go on the run, give up the fight and only think about survival; he showed weakness and lack of willingness to fight. Beterbiev took advantage of Bivol’s reluctance to fight.
I don’t know what can change in a rematch. If a fighter is afraid, as Bivol showed, that won’t change in a rematch. That fear is still there. The rematch has the same results and the fans go home dissatisfied.
Turki Alalashich should have pitted Beterbiev against David Benavidez, Joshua Buatsi or David Morrell instead of setting up a rematch with Bivol. Dmitry should have earned the rematch by facing one or two of these fighters rather than receiving it after his loss.
The scores were 116-112, 115-113 for Beterbiev and 114-114. Some boxing fans felt 116-112 was too far, but it reflected that Bivol couldn’t stand and fight. He used a hit-and-dash style that showed he was unwilling to fight. Not surprisingly, Bivol’s punches lacked power because he was focused on escaping. In other words, Bivol was just spoiled.
Sixty days until change
Dmitry’s fans believed he had done enough to deserve the win, but it was clear to everyone else that Beterbiev had dominated the last six rounds, which scared him. Beterbiev exposed Bivol under fire for his lack of courage. We had already seen how Bivol looked scared when Lyndon Arthur injured him in the eighth round on December 23, 2023.
“I still have a chance and (Turki Alalshikh) told about this date the day after the fight. He wanted a rematch that day. He asked me, he asked Beterbiev, who said yes, and since that day it has been in my head that I will get this chance again,” said Dmitry Bivol Fight hype about getting another opportunity to fight Artur Beterbiev.
“Obviously I have to do something different and I know what I’m going to add, I know what I’m going to change a little bit.”
The Rabbit and the Wolf
Turki gave Bivol another chance, but it won’t help him unless he fights with more heart and stops being a shy bunny like last time. Beterbiev chased him around the ring like a wolf in the latter half of the fight and it looked like Bivol had given up. He was just hoping to win an ugly decision.
