Dmitry Bivol says he’s already planning on what to do to avenge his loss to undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on February 22nd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The former WBA 175-lb champion Bivol (23-1, 12 Kos) fought a close fight against Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs), losing a 12-round majority decision on October 12th.
Bivol let the victory slip through his fingers in the second half of that fight by moving too much and holding rather than throwing. Beterbiev’s pressure and power were too much. The scores were 115-113, 116-112 for Beterbiev, and 114-113 for Bivol.
To have a chance of winning the rematch, Bivol must be more aggressive and not run like he did last time. The image of Beterbiev chasing him around the ring gave the impression that he was trying to survive and wasn’t interested in winning in the traditional way. Bivol was trying to get a cheap victory, and the judges weren’t going for it.
Changes For The Rematch
“Of course, I will change something. I will work more. I will work harder to be better,” said Dmitry Bivol to Boxing News about his rematch against undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on February 22nd.
“I just need to be better in all points. Move better, throwing more punches, harder punches and everything better,” said Bivol on what he must do in his rematch against Beterbiev. “Just a strong heavy punch,” said Dmitry about Artur’s power.
“I don’t have it, but once I get it, I’ll explain it. It’s sitting in my head this task with what I need to deal with,” said Bivol about the satisfaction he’ll have after avenging his loss to Beterbiev. “It’s not too difficult. I like in life when you have this test, you feel more alive.”
It will be difficult for Bivol to be more aggressive in the rematch without getting knocked out by Beterbiev. That style of fighting is not what Bivol is built for, and at 34, he is not young enough to change his style.
