Shakur Stevenson says former WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol should have won his previous fight against unified 175-lb champion Artur Beterbiev, and he’ll win the rematch on February 22nd if he “stays focused” the entire fight when they meet in the headliner in Riyadh.
Foot Off The Gas
According to Shakur, Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) needs to keep his foot on the gas the entire fight and not let off in the championship rounds like last time. He thinks Bivol let off in the last couple of rounds and allowed Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) to take charge.
It looked like Bivol had no choice but to let off because he was running being hurt in the seventh round when he got caught during an exchange. It was all Betebriev from the sixth round, and the judges felt he’d dominated the fight’s second half. They scored the fight accordingly, scoring it 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114.
Stevenson is defending his WBC lightweight title on the undercard against Floyd Schofield, and he hopes to make a statement in that fight.
“I thought Bivol won, and I think he may win again,” said Shakur Stevenson to Secondsout, picking former WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol to defeat Artur Beterbiev in the rematch on February 22nd in Riyadh.
“Honestly, he needs to stop letting his foot off the gas. I think in the last two rounds, he let his foot off the gas,” Shakur said when asked what Bivol must do to defeat Beterbiev in the rematch. “I think if he stays focused throughout the fight, he wins.”
Birds Of A Feather
Bivol will need to stand his ground more to win the rematch because the judges noticed that he was unwilling to engage in the entire second half and was being chased around the ring by Beterbiev.
Interestingly, Bivol fought a lot like Shakur in terms of movement and holding. So, it’s not a shock that Shakur admires Bivol and thought he won. They’re birds of a feather.
