Artur Beterbiev says he will be different in his rematch against Dmitry Bivol on February 22 in Riyadh. Undisputed light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) is expected to put Bivolj (23-1, 12 KOs) under constant pressure, forcing him to fight or flee.
In the latter half of their fight on October 12, Bivol took a lot of damage from Beterbiev’s constant punches. Although Bivol had gloves on to block the blows, the impact of Beterbiev’s powerful punches went through his gloves and into his face, damaging them. Blocking doesn’t work when someone hits as hard as Betterby’s.
No more respect
Beterbiev now realizes that he fought the wrong way last time. In the first five rounds, he showed Buffalo too much respect by not attacking him mercilessly. Arthur deviated from his usual fighting style, allowing Buffalo to win uncontested rounds that he wouldn’t have won had he been under pressure all along.
“The opponent is the same, but it’s a new fight, and I have to prepare differently.” You want to do everything differently,” Artur Beterbiev told the George Groves Boxing Club YouTube channeldiscussing his rematch with Dmitri Bivol on February 22nd.
“With my team, we will learn more about some details that I cannot tell you.” “I did enough to win, but I want to do a lot better,” Beterbiev said of his first fight against Buffalo on Oct. 12. “I don’t know.” We’ll see, but my focus is the same,” Arthur said about the rematch.
“No, I don’t care about this,” Beterbiev said when asked if he was bothered by not getting a knockout in the Bivola fight.
🥶 @ABeterbiev #BetterbievBivol2 | #RiadhSeason | February 22, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/ezvdJhak8O
— DAZN boxing (@DAZNBoking) January 16, 2025
The judges awarded Beterbie a 12-round majority victory in their previous fight on October 12 in Riyadh. There was a lot of bitterness from many of Bivol’s fans and his promoter Eddie Hearn.
They thought his boxing in the first half was enough to win, but they ignored that after five rounds he gave up the fight and ran like he was being chased by a dog. It’s interesting how fans form an opinion based on what they first see in the early rounds and then close their minds to what happens in the second half of the fights. It’s human nature.
Lazy people make snap judgments and then turn off their brains. Buffalo lost the fight in the second half because he was unable to stand and fight. Fear gripped him and governed his ability to fight the Betterbys.
