Promoter Bob Arum says the Saudis are “Enamored” with the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev rivalry despite neither of the two being a “major draw.”
PPV Flop
Indeed, their rematch on February 22nd on DAZN PPV brought in a reported 45,000 buys in the U.S., which is beyond horrible. American boxing fans are not excited about seeing the two aging Eastern European fighters fight, as neither of their clashes has been exciting. U.S. fans want to see David Benavidez challenge Bivol for the titles because he’s got the style that will force the unified champion into a fight.
As Arum points out, the Saudis want to see the trilogy and are willing to pay big money to the fighters to make it happen. He’s in favor of seeing a third fight.
“Neither Bivol nor Beterbiev are a major draw. They’re great fighters, but they’re not major draws. They were compensated accordingly, Bivol by his promoters and Beterbiev by his promoters, including us,” said promoter Bob Arum to Sky Sports News on the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev trilogy.
“The Saudis, rightly so, are enamored by that matchup, and they have supported the fighters in both fights by paying them big purses. Bigger purses than they’ve ever had before. So, if they want the fight to happen, the Saudis do, and obviously, the only way the fighters will go is to fight each other. There should be a rubber match because of how close the two fights.
“That would put a final caption on their competition and I would hope their next fights would be against each other,” said Arum about Beterbiev and Bivol.
In their two fights, Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) typically runs around the ring, looking like a Russian version of Shakur Stevenson, and the slow-footed 40-year-old Beterbiev (21-1,20 KOs) plods after him. More often than not, when Beterbiev does catch up to Bivol, he waits for an eternity before throwing a single shot. After that, Bivol either ties him up or takes off running.
