Artur Beterbiev says his team changed “some things” with their rematch against Dmitry Bivol on February 22. Team changes for undisputed welterweight champion Betterbee (21-0, 20 KOs) will likely include more pressure and not allowing Buffalo to escape when moving around the ring.
Bivol (23-1, 12 KO) will not stop and change, because he will not last more than a few rounds against Beterbiev in the rematch in Riyadh. We saw that last time.
Adapting to win
In one instance in a fight where Bivol was standing in the seventh round, Beterbiev clipped him and was injured. It was the first and last time Bivol tried to trade in a fight.
In the second leg, Bivol will use Shakur-esque hit-and-run the style he used in the first fight with Betterby, but will probably include a lot of clinch. When Bivol held his own in their previous confrontation, he neutralized Arthur’s attack and controlled him.
Beterbiev is a smart fighter, and has fought many fighters in the past who have used excessive holding to stop his offense. He will know what to do to counter this tactic. It would be more exciting for the fans if Bivol decided to feud with Beterby, as this card will be shown live on DAZN PPV. However, Bivol wants a lucrative trilogy match, and the only way to get that is to defeat Beterbiev on February 22nd and win. If that means hitting, running and staying up all night, that’s what Bivol will do.
Tactical Shift
“My team, we changed some different things, but we can’t tell you. The second fight, we’ll see what happens there,” Artur Beterbiev said Professional boxing fansreacting to being told that Anthony Joshua had picked Dmitri Bivol to beat him in the February 22 rematch.
“Mentally, you have to be focused. “Even if someone says it’s a close fight, I felt I won,” Beterbiev said of his previous bout against Bivol on October 12 last year. “We need enough change to win.” It didn’t surprise me, but he did a good job,” Arthur said when asked if Dmitri did anything in the first fight that “surprised” him.
“I felt that I had won the battle.” I didn’t see it (Betterby’s power coming to Buffalo).”
☝ @bivol_d 👑#BetterbievBivol2 | 22 Feb | @DAZNBocking pic.tvitter.com/CzKMuZsCMf
— Matchroom Booking (@MatchroomBoking) January 17, 2025
Beterbiev vs Buffalo face off for second time in historic event Final Crescendo for Undisputed World Championship 🔥🥊
Riyadh 📍
February 22 🗓Book your tickets now👇https://t.co/8aKHpjE9Un#BigTime#RiadhSeason pic.twitter.com/13ElUfG02F
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) January 16, 2025
