Artur Beterbiev 40 years old: revenge of Bivol, next


Artur Beterbiev celebrated his 40th birthday today, before defending his undisputed light heavyweight title against Dmitry Bivol on February 22 in Riyadh.

Bivol have a second chance due to complaints from fans and his promoter regarding his loss. It seemed like a fair decision. Beterbiev wanted more, and Bivol just wanted to try not to get eliminated. When you race like Bivol, you don’t win. It’s simple.

The ageless champion

Despite undergoing knee surgery for a torn meniscus in May 2024, Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) looked like the younger, fresher fighter and defeated previously undefeated WBA champion Bivol (23- 1, 12 KO) on October 12.

The scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114. Fighting with just one good leg, Beterbiev chased Bivol around the ring and looked like a dog chasing a scared cat. Bivol, with two healthy legs, had no fight in him.

Physically, Beterbiev appears younger than Bivol, who appears haggard from their previous fight. You can see bags under both eyes of Bivol, 34, and he looks like an old hound dog.

The punishment given to Bivol during the fight seemed to age him the older he appeared. Even though Bivol blocked Beterbiev’s shots with his gloves, the blows were so violent that they still did damage.

Last time out, Bivol stayed on the move for the entire second half of the fight starting in the sixth round when Beterbiev started putting pressure on him. Once this started, Bivol was no longer in the fight. He was just trying to survive.

Beterbiev had held his own through the first five rounds, letting Bivol strike and throw a combination to take over the action. The fight changed hands when Beterbiev went into attack mode starting in the sixth. Bivol didn’t have the firepower, the chin, or the courage to stand up and fight. It was disappointing because he didn’t even try to make it exciting. It was pure running and holding from Bivol.

Breaking Bivol’s Defense

If Berterbiev chooses to attack right away in the rematch, it will be a rout because Bivol doesn’t have the punching power or the chin to take him on. Additionally, he is less willing to trade power shots than other fighters in the light heavyweight division. Bivol hates getting hit and is terrified of being pinned by Beterbiev.

It will be interesting to see if Bivol promoter Eddie Hearn will start complaining again if he loses by decision. Let’s hope he takes the high road and shows some class.

“It’s going to be difficult to separate them. I just don’t know if the last fight was tough for two of them, and I don’t know if Beterbiev’s age,” Callum Smith told iFL TVwondering if Artur Beterbiev’s age has caught up with him ahead of his rematch with Dmitry Bivol on February 22.

“We keep saying he’s going to start looking his age, but I don’t know in this fight if that took a little bit away from him. The more time passes, you have to lean towards Bivol to be a little cooler. I’m thinking about Bivol, but I think it’s still going to be very tight. I’ll do my job (against Joshua Buatsi), then I’ll watch the main event. I hope I have a chance to win the match,” Smith said.