Artur Beterbiev edged out Dmitriy Bivol with a majority decision victory in their first undisputed light heavyweight title fight in October and the two stars will meet again on Saturday.
The bout headlines a packed card with some of the biggest stars in the sport on the bill as Beterbiev looks to defend his belts and Bivol bids for revenge.
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Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol tips
Beterbiev can back up his victory
The first fight was a stunning contest as Beterbiev and Bivol went to war. Beterbiev went into the fight with a perfect 20-0 record and 20 KOs, while Bivol was 23-0 with 12 stoppages.
Beterbiev edged that close bout via a majority decision as one judge scored the fight a draw and two scored it in the undisputed champion’s favour, one by two rounds and one by four.
There was very little to separate the two men and Bivol seemed to have the edge in the earlier rounds, before Beterbiev upped his work rate and began to outland the 34-year-old in the second half of the fight.
We could see a similar pattern again and this time Bivol probably needs to go on the attack a bit more as the challenger, rather than a fighter on equal footing as a defending champion.
That could work to Beterbiev’s advantage as his stamina was perhaps the deciding factor last time around.
The Russian-Canadian also carries more power than Bivol and was able to connect with the more telling shots – and those small margins can make all the difference in fights that are as close as this one is likely to be.
Repeat points win for Beterbiev
Beterbiev’s incredible stoppage rate means he is favoured to get the job done inside the distance this time around at 21/10 to win by KO, TKO or Disqualification.
However, Bivol is a defensive master and he was largely able to avoid or at least deflect Beterbiev’s most dangerous shots in the first fight. When he was caught by the 40-year-old’s big punches, he was able to cope with the power and the judges may be required once again on Saturday.
Bivol actually connected with a higher percentage of his punches thrown in the first meeting but Beterbiev was the more active of the two fighters, applying near constant pressure.
A similar approach should be enough to get another win over the line here and it is hard to see how Bivol can flip the script and become the aggressor, so another points win for Beterbiev appeals.
Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol tips
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