Comments Thread For: Bivol Sides With Beterbiev To Topple Joe Smith - Wants To Unify With Winner

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is motivated to become the undisputed beltholder at 175-pounds. Next month at the Hulu Theater of Madison Square Garden in New York City, Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith will collide in WBC, WBA, WBO three belt unification showdown.
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[wildman]

I would much rather see Bivol vs Beterbiev than a rematch with Alvarez. I also think Beterbiev beats Smith.

[JBsports.49]

Canelo needs to fight GGG in September & Ryder in December let 175 produce undisputed champion between Bivol vs Beterbiev-Smith winner & Canelo win the smoke clears fights for all the marbles @ 175

[Mayweatherducks]

No one wants to see the Canelo rematch we’d rather see Bivol vs Beterbiev

[VislorTurlough]

This. Tainted beef bro needs to step out of the way

[Donnie Herrera]

Beterbiev would break Bivol in half!!!…

[Boxing Logic]

When is Gvozdyk coming back? He looked scared and unsure vs Beterbiev, maybe still shook from the Stevenson fight, but maybe the best light heavyweight I've seen the last 15 years was Gvozdyk against Stevenson. Some of the counters and techniques he was doing, the body shot counters, were amazing. And he has the best height and reach in the division, but not thin and tall like Paul Williams or Chad Dawson, he has maybe the best physique in the division besides Beterbiev, yet he's also tall and long armed, a big puncher, very fast for his size and strength combo, lots of great techniques, competent at all ranges. I don't know how he makes 175 and still has good stamina and durability, but since he did he seemed like a notable talent at 175.

Gvozdyk vs Bivol is hard to pick. Gvozdyk when right vs Beterbiev, I mean, the Beterbiev who fought that night, Gvozdyk should have beaten. Beterbiev's defense, head movement, and accuracy have never been that. Really, both fought badly. Sometimes two great fighters bring the best out of each other, sometimes both show up on bad nights. I don't know what happened with that fight but it was a disappointment, and too bad for ESPN that they rightfully profiled that fight for only for it to be a dud. Meanwhile Gvozdyk vs Stevenson deserves some sort of award, like an Oscar or something, that was so well put together. It's too bad Gvozdyk vs Beterbiev was not the same quality because it hurt the stature of both guys. I mean it helps Beterbiev's reputation to get such a good win, officially, but anyone who watched the fight, it made him look a lot worse, and same with Gvozdyk. Whereas, Gvozdyk vs Stevenson was a confirmation of both their skills, power, and even showed Stevenson's durability was better than people expected at that age coming off the hard fight vs Jack. He took more punishment than ever early, even a knockdown, but did not lose his whole gas tank until late any worse than he did in his prime against Fonfara (although he got it back), and Fonfara didn't do nearly the damage up to that point that Gvozdyk had.

Gvozdyk showed really good skills and defense vs Stevenson, but still got smashed a few times to the head, and a lot to the body, which showed Stevenson's full bag of tricks, skills, and explosiveness. Whereas Gvozdyk vs Beterbiev, Gvozdyk couldn't throw a proper punch all fight without falling over, which made him look bad despite still outpointing Beterbiev, and Beterbiev was being outboxed too easily given the low quality coming at him, and not the same level of techniques and explosiveness Gvozdyk used vs Stevenson. By making Gvozydk look much worse, it also made Beterbiev look much worse for not being able to score as many points vs a much worse Gvozdyk. We saw Gvozdyk is durable vs Stevenson, and the temple shot vs the southpaw earlier in his career has been a bit of a fluke. And Beterbiev seems durable too, just got caught in an exchange with Johnson who is a big puncher. So I would have liked to see the fight with them where they both showed good defense, but inevitably got set up by each other's clever attacks and ate big shots, just Gvozdyk landing more to the head outside, hurting Beterbiev, while also also does it back but not as much, and Beterbiev landing more at mid and short range. If he stopped Gvozdyk in a fight like that, it would have made them both look good, but because Beterbiev looked so bad in the fight in every way except power, and Gvozdyk also looked so ineffective offensively against someone looking so uncharacteristically out of his element outside, it brought down the stock of both fighters.

Gvozdyk was the guy in the division who not only had so many physical advantages, but was using Lomachenko techniques, and punching with big power. And showing an above average gas tank at the least. If you are out of your element on the outside, and looking like only a slugger, then he should be lighting you up. And Beterbiev was the guy whose muscle made him look like a typical no skill banger on the surface, but who when you looked closer, also had some of the best height and range in the division, and was also very balletic under that muscle, and covering just as much distance with his feet and flexibility as the most flexible guys in the division. So he shouldn't have been looking that bad on the outside to begin with.

That fight got turned into a very basic boxer vs puncher fight, a run of the mill production. When those guys should have both been boxers, and both been punchers, just 60/40 or 65/35 outside boxing to Gvozdyk, and 60/40 power to Beterbiev on the outside, 75/25 power when they're all the way tied up and positions like that, but only 55/45 or 60/40 when Gvozdyk puts his weight into mid-inside body counters when he anticipates them coming close and plans it in the moment and snaps into those shots. It should be contextual. And each punch is different. Beterbiev's uppercuts and inside power hooks should have a bigger power spread than their straight rights from the outside. Their mid to outside range power hooks should have a bigger power spread than outside, but less big power spread than their inside hooks.

That fight was just not close to as well put together as Stevenson vs Gvozdyk. I don't know what happened, if it's an ESPN vs Showtime thing, or what went on, but especially since that took Gvozdyk's 0 and then was his last fight too, it was disappointing. And I think looking at all their fights, Beterbiev was better than that too. I mean, especially after Bivol's power looked so weak vs Canelo, it just feels like Beterbiev and Gvozdyk are the best at 175 because even if Bivol's skill is just as good or slightly better than theirs, they are a lot bigger than him. And is his skill better than theirs? Beterbiev's skill is so elite on the inside that his overall skill seems just as high, yet he's twice as big and strong and powerful. And Gvozdyk offensively was able to open up Stevenson and many other opponents for consistent clean, full power shots much more than Bivol since he's been on HBO, using a lot of varied techniques. Bivol also is a master of many techniques but he keeps missing or only glancing many of his right hands and left hooks, while Gvozdyk would connect).

Bivol's defense is better than theirs. They both have very good defense, as good as anyone in the sport besides the few "generational" guys like Floyd, Loma, etc, and, well, statistically, Bivol, although he gets hit clean a little more than they do. But still not very much, and his overall percentage of defense is elite. That's Bivol's advantage vs these guys, and his hands are a little faster, and his legs are a little more flexible and possibly stronger than Gvozdyk's but not Beterbiev's. But they are longer and stronger, and Beterbiev is more powerful, whereas pre-DAZN Bivol's power looked very good like Gvozdyk's, but now Bivol vs Canelo's power looked like 25% of Gvozdyk's lol. But that'shat's "sports and entertainment" for you.

[Dreamking]

After the performance against Canelo I cannot wait for Bivol vs Beterbiev. That fight will be so ****ing good!

[A.B Counterhooks]

Well first we need to see what happens with beterviev-smith jr ,on paper russian should pick the W but anything can happen in boxing smith certainly has ko power but due to his rudimentary boxing style it will end up being an absolute slugfest with one of the guys getting sparked out most likely, meanwhile bivol patiently and comfortably waiting with great options at hand

[ShoulderRoll]

Bob Arum says a fight with Beterbiev has no pizazz, because Bivol is boring.