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Boxing
I noticed two big changes in Dmitry Bivol during Artur Beterbiev rematch win
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The dust has started to settle on what was a thrilling undisputed light heavyweight title rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
After Beterbiev triumphed with a majority decision win in October, it was a classic repeat or revenge scenario.
How would Bivol adjust? Would Beterbiev carry out the same in-ring tactics? Will either man look to finish the contest within the scheduled 12-round distance?
What transpired was a rematch which lived up to the billing.
A change in tactics from Bivol ensured that he was the one being crowned the king of the light heavyweight division in Riyadh, and DAZN News’ Matt Astbury takes a look at what Bivol changed to write himself into the history books.
Withstand instant Beterbiev pressure
It was no secret that Bivol had superior footwork to Beterbiev.
The defending undisputed champion often marches his opponents down and instead of choosing to go on front foot in the latter stages of the fights, Beterbiev decided to apply pressure from the opening bell.
As Beterbiev marched forward for the first four rounds, Bivol was forced to duck and weave, but he did at times have to take the odd punch. I did fear with Beterbiev opting for this strategy that it could make this contest one sided if Bivol struggled to find any response.
However, Bivol’s movement was lightning quick, quicker than I have ever seen from him before and it was enough to frustrate Beterbiev. While it looked like Bivol at times was losing control of the ring, he was banking on his movement to tire Beterbiev and that is exactly what happened.
Dictating the pace and leg massages
A common sight in between rounds of this rematch was Bivol receiving leg massages from his training team, a clear acknowledgement that if he was to beat Beterbiev, stamina would be key.
In the first fight, particularly rounds 10, 11 and 12, Bivol struggled with Beterbiev’s pace as he dictated the tempo of the fight and forced Bivol into a panic.
This time around it was Bivol who seized the initiative. To stop Beterbiev from gaining any considerable foothold, Bivol controlled the pace, but in order to keep it up for 12 rounds, his team needed to ensure that he was as energetic as possible.
Cue the massages.
That brief period of relaxation allowed Bivol to reset, meanwhile it was a different scene in Beterbiev’s corner. He started to look like a 40-year-old fighter, mouth open, eyes wide, head tilted and staring blankly into nothingness, it was Beterbiev who was now the tired fighter after not being in a position where he could control the fight.
The perfect gameplan produced the right result
Watching fight week from afar, Bivol had a glint in his eye and a glow whenever he participated in the various events leading up to a big night of boxing.
This was a clear sign to me that he felt confident in what he had to do in the ring to wrestle the undisputed light heavyweight title away from Beterbiev.
Yes, it was another close encounter, but the 114-114 scorecard was bizarre and one I disagreed with.
Bivol was the clear winner. The decision to play Beterbiev at his own game worked, controlling the pace of the fight and using the inevitable tiredness as an area to exploit.
This result sets up what should be an intriguing trilogy fight between Bivol and Beterbiev.
For the first time in his professional boxing career, it is Beterbiev who needs to work out how to bounce back from a loss.
Will we see anything different from Beterbiev which will catch everyone by surprise? Could Bivol do the same for another energy sapping 12 rounds against one of boxing’s most feared fighters?
I guess we will find out the answers to those questions and more if indeed a third fight is made in the near future.
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