Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will meet on February 22nd for the undisputed world light heavyweight title.
The two pound-for-pound elites put on a boxing showcase when they met in 2024 and will look to show improvements in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the rematch.
However, it may not be the last time that boxing fans witness a stellar matchup. Turki Alalshikh has announced that if Bivol gets redemption for his first professional loss, a trilogy with Beterbiev will be made.
Having shown each other some respect when Beterbiev and Bivol rewatched their first meeting, they have continued to give credit in the build-up to their headline event.
Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol name their opponent’s best qualities
Although many boxing matches get their intrigue through bad blood and trash talk, there is no need for that with Beterbiev and Bivol. With the level of skill so high on each side, the rematch is must-see television.
It has been apparent that Beterbiev and Bivol feel the same way, as they have credited their opponents ahead of the rematch.
In interviews with Sky Sports, the Canadian and the Russian have stated the top qualities of their February 22nd dance partners.
When Beterbiev was asked to describe his opponent in three words, the Canadian’s answer was nothing but complimentary towards Bivol. “Power. Strenght. Focus.”
When asked the same question, Bivol also used word power to describe his opponent. As well as this, he labelled Beterbiev using words such as “aggressive” and “endurance”.
The two fighters were then asked to name one another’s best attribute, to which Beterbiev responded, “He’s good. He [has] technical skills, boxing skills. He’s smart. He’s a good boxer.”
As for Bivol, he answered the question by simply saying, “Power.”
Artur Beterbiev gives surprising answer as to who will win rematch with Dmitry Bivol
In the Sky Sports interview, both men were asked at the end of the discussion who they thought would be the victor of the fight.
As Bivol answered the question, he said, “I hope I will win.”
As for Beterbiev, he surprisingly did not say he thought he would, or hopes to, be the victor of the fight. The Canadian simply said, “We will see. We will see.”
The defending champion was also not confidently picking himself in terms of having more power than his opponent. When asked who had more punching power, Beterbiev said that based on the statistics it is him, but added, “I don’t think so,” in regard to him being the answer.