Whenever there’s a big fight, Teddy Atlas always has something to say about it. And Atlas, like the rest of us, is looking forward to Saturday night’s four-belt light-heavyweight unification showdown between unbeaten champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Watch the fight live on ESPN+ in the USA and live on DAZN outside the US & Canda.
Atlas, though, has no doubt who wins. Speaking on his own The Fight podcast, the former trainer of Mike Tyson, Michael Moorer, and others said Father Time would likely be the winner in Riyadh on Saturday.
“He’s slowing down. He’s cutting up easier. He’s 38 years old with 300 amateur fights. A lot of tough fights in the pros. He’s aging; nobody beats Father Time,” Atlas said of Beterbiev, who is actually 39 years old. “I will never rule out Beterbiev; he’s got power, he’s got character and pride, but, yeah, I got Bivol, a solid favorite.”
Interesting stuff from Teddy. Is Bivol, the younger and, most feel, much fresher fighter of the two, getting this fight at just the right time? Is Beterbiev “slowing down?” For certain, Beterbiev, 20-0(20), has not been active, with him having had a mere two fights since June of 2022. Beterbiev last saw action back in January when he stopped Callum Smith, and he certainly looked very impressive on the night. He may be carrying a good deal of rust with him into the ring on Saturday.
Bivol, 23-0(12) and the younger man by six years at age 33, has been significantly more active, with him having boxed twice over the last ten months. Bivol has the quicker hands, the faster reflexes here, but Beterbiev has that crushing power, that big equaliser. It really is a fascinating fight, and while Atlas is always worth listening to when he makes a fight prediction, not everyone agrees with him here.
Far from it, plenty of people, fans as well as experts, pick Beterbiev to be too strong and too powerful for Bivol. But age does catch up with all great fighters eventually, and maybe it will be Beterbiev’s time on Saturday. Atlas makes a great point when he refers to those 300 amateur fights Beterbiev had and how the sheer wear and tear is catching up with him. How much has Beterbiev got left at the absolute elite level?
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