Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol sat down to watch their first fight with one another.
Two of the best pound-for-pound fighters were brought together by TNT Sports for a face-off, where they watched and analyzed their first meeting.
Beterbiev bested Bivol via a majority decision in October of 2024 when the light heavyweights fought in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, many boxing fans felt that the decision should have gone the other way.
Neither man has competed since their last meeting and will have their sequel bout on February 22nd on a stacked card in Saudi Arabia.
Rewatching their last outing, both fighters gave their thoughts on how the fight went and how they felt during the elite battle.
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Dmitry Bivol feels he made mistakes versus Artur Beterbiev
Bivol and Beterviev sat down to rewatch their first encounter with one another with each fighter giving their perspective on the events.
Speaking on his loss, Bivol said, “I made some mistakes. Some moves which I shouldn’t [have made].” However, he added that despite this, he was completely focused throughout the bout.
Giving praise to his opponent, Bivol described Beterbiev’s “good side” as his forward pressure and aggression. Meanwhile, Beterbiev said that he “did good” despite having to deal with some surprises throughout the fight from Bivol.
As both men were described as being “harsh judges” of themselves, Bivol would go on to explain where his critical mindset stems from, as it is something his father and coaches instilled in him. “Every time it could be better. There is no limit to being perfect,” the Russian said.
Despite his fight with Bivol being the first time he heard the final bell of a fight, Betebiev revealed that these thoughts never crossed his mind. Saying he was focused on the fight and what his corner was instructing him, the Canadian was seemingly not concerned about his then-100% finish rate.
Beterbiev would then joke saying he would prefer there to be more rounds. “I prefer if we have a couple of rounds more… Because I’m not a good boxer, I need more rounds.”
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Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol refuse to shake hands before fight
At the end of their face-to-face, Beterbiev and Bivol were asked if they would shake one another’s hand to conclude the meeting. However, both fighters declined in unison.
Although there is seemingly no bad blood and no verbal flares between the two, they have refrained from being overly friendly with one another in the build-up to the fight.
Beterbiev also mentioned in the meeting that he did not feel like Bivol would want to rematch him had he been given the decision victory in 2024.
When Bivol was asked if would he have given Beterbiev a redeeming opportunity, the Russian neither confirmed nor denied by saying, “Why should I think [like this]?.. We are in reality now.”
However, Bivol named a trilogy with Beterbiev as a future fight option should he be victorious in February.