Russian fighting is a dirty phrase around the world at the moment but it is providing quite possibly one of the most beautiful boxing scenes this weekend.
Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev have been forced to leave their homes – for the United States and Canada respectively – because Vladimir Putin is trying to fight the rest of civilisation.
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And there is likely to be no white, blue and red flag raised or the Russian national anthem played in Riyadh.
But hopefully politics can be put aside as we witness possibly the best boxing contest available on planet Earth right now.
There are big-money bouts around, rematches and trilogies to dream up, there are certainly more outrageous showmen and trash talkers in the bleeding edge business.
But when you combine their amateur pedigree and achievements, with their undefeated professional record and the blatant clash of their styles – and add the decades-long personal animosity – you are left with poetry in poignancy.
The undisputed light-heavyweight fight between the 33-year-old Kyrgyzstani and the 39-year-old Dagestani Beterbiev is the Beauty and the Beast of boxing, as dramatic as Aladdin’s desert.
It’s a case that Walt Disney himself would struggle to dream up. But we are all lucky enough to be able to attend this Saturday.
amateur code
Hairy Beterbiev almost started winning major medals for the Russian amateur team Twenty years ago.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics he was pitted against a Chinese light-heavyweight opponent, winning a controversial gold medal.
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And by the time the London 2012 Games came around he had moved up to heavyweight and ultimately lost to another golden boy in Oleksandr Usyk.
Competing in more than 300 events, he won several gold and silver medals at the World and European Championships.
And he only moved up to heavyweight, swapping from 75kg to 91kg – at the end of his amateur days – because it was too easy in the divisions below and Russia wanted winners in all divisions.
Dmitry Bivol’s amateur career ended with another staggering record of 268–15, but he never made it to the Olympics or the World Championships as there were even more talented and experienced fighters ahead of him, such as Igor Mekhontsev who won the London Olympics. Won gold medal in lighting in 2012. Heavy.
Due to the six-year age difference, the pair rarely trained together or traveled to tournaments – Beterbiev was an experienced senior while Bivol was a promising junior – but in 2012 they sparred clearly and Bivol found it good. Kind of remember.
“When I came to the national team in 2012, he was already No. 1 and he was the leader at that time,” he said.
“At that time he was a cruiserweight and I was a super-middleweight.
“We did a few rounds of work together before the Olympic Games but it wasn’t a proper conflict, it was just good work to help people going to the Olympic Games.”
Beterbiev is somewhat more cruel to his disciple-turned-victim.
“He was no partner to me,” she said. “He can say whatever he wants.
“I never needed someone who came from a lower class to quarrel with me.
“In 2012 I was fighting at 91 kg and he weighed 75 kg. This is not true at all.”
Pro Records
Boxing has been harmed by fighters, promoters and broadcasters protecting undefeated records.
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But these two totally deserve their amazing numbers.
Bivol is 23-0 and his record includes former world champions such as Jean Pascal, Joe Smith Jr. and Zurdo Ramirez.
He has also dominated Britons Craig Richards and Lyndon Arthur in terms of points.
But, most impressively and famously, he controlled Canelo Alvarez so comfortably – in the Mexican’s adopted home of Las Vegas – that he earned a unanimous decision victory over him in 2022, something even the legendary Gennady Golovkin failed to do. Well, in the wrong way.
Beterbiev’s record is appalling.
The bearded beast has a 100 percent knockout record, having defeated all 20 of his opponents within the distance.
I’m a new age traveler making my way in the world of boxing but unlike other female fighters I will never be nakedStrong Englishman Callum Johnson managed to knock down Beterbiev early in their 2018 fight, but was brutalized before the end of the fourth round.
In 2019, Beterbiev won his second light-heavy belt by defeating the dangerous Oleksandr Gvozdyk with such severe injuries that he was hospitalized for two days and retired for two years.
And his last two TKO wins came against brave Britons, when Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith were chased, bitten and saved by their wise trainers.
styles make super fight
Bivol is a handsome boxer with a trademark European point-scoring style.
The clean-shaven beanpole bounces in and out of range and uses his long arms to tag his opponents when he thinks they are safe.
His trademark dig is a long lead left-hook which he somehow lands as he leaps backwards out of danger.
Canelo’s performance is the perfect example of this, his poise and precision were astonishing to watch as he made boxing’s then pound-for-pound No. 1 look like a rookie.
It’s not always exciting, with Saudi fans criticizing his dominant but dull decision win over Arthur last year.
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Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol: when is it, UK start time, live stream
But it is exquisite and an acquired taste, like French haute cuisine, abstract art or The Guardian.
The caveman in the opposite corner could not have been more different.
Beterbiev didn’t last 10 years as some dumb brawler in the Russian amateur team; his brains are behind his feud.
But he’s basically a human wrecking ball that blows things to pieces.
Yarde performed well and lasted eight competitive rounds, but he knows why other opponents endure so little.
He explained: “Betterbiev takes away their spirits – no matter how many rounds they last, he beats them.
“Our fight was like a normal fight, because we were trading, he seemed human till the end.”
belt
We must not let the four major sanctioning bodies be blocked by their own interests, self-serving rankings, lucrative sanctioning fees and often inevitable major battles with challengers.
But we have all four belts at stake here and this is the pinnacle of the sport.
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Bivol brings the WBA crown to the table, Beterbiev puts his WBC, IBF and WBO belts on the line.
The winner will undoubtedly be the finest 12th 7lbs fighter on the planet and – depending on the manner of victory – will be able to compete with Oleksandr Usyk, Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue for the legendary honor of P4P king of all the different divisions.
The beginning of a rivalry?
The fight was over before Beterbiev suffered a knee injury, which caused their June 1 duel to be postponed.
The reinvented slugger will turn 40 in January so the dream of a multi-fight story seems sadly impossible.
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If there is a draw or any controversial decision, we may see the fantasy fight a second time.
But if Beterbiev beats Bivol inside the distance – or the silky young man outwits and overtakes the veteran – there will be no demand for a rematch.
The most likely scenario is that the winner moves up to cruiserweight where 14st 4lbs monsters like Jay Opertei and Bournemouth’s WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith operate.
our prediction
A lot will depend on how Beterbiev’s body – especially the rebuilt knee – handles chasing Bivol around the ring.
If a torn meniscus, painful surgery and a rapid comeback – just 10 months after his last fight – stack up against Beterbiev, he could be facing a long night.
Bivol is young, fresh, fast and tall but he doesn’t have the sheer power to crush people that Beterbiev has.
It seems crazy to be rooting against a man who made a mockery of the odds to defeat Canelo.
But Beterbiev feels like a fighting machine that knows only to seek and destroy.
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Bookmakers can barely split them – and nor can we – but Bivol by stoppage seems unlikely while Beterbiev KO or decision are both perfectly sensible ideas.
So we choose Beterbiev – that’s it.
Artur Beterbiev ‘eats the souls’ of his boxing rivals but gives up eating three days before a fight
