By: Sean Crose
The long awaited fight finally went down back in October in Saudi Arabia. Dmitry Bivol and Arthur Beterbiev battled for light heavyweight supremacy in an intensely close 12 round affair. When all was said and done it was Beterbiev who stepped out of the ring the undisputed champion of the entire division. Not everyone was happy, though. People such as former world titlist Chris Algieri indicated that Bivol’s defense was aesthetically unappealing to the judges, even though he should have won the fight. Others, of course, felt differently than Algieri. A rematch was clearly in order.
And now that rematch is about to go down, for it was announced on Monday that Bivol -Beterbiev 2 will transpire February 22nd in Saudi Arabia. Although the first match wasn’t a barn burner, it was a high level, high stakes chess match. The rematch has the chance to play out much the same way, perhaps with a different ending. It will likely all depend on two things: Can Bivol keep Beterbiev from landing at all or can Beterbiev land on Bivol enough to dictate the tempo of the fight? These two are so evenly matched it’s hard to tell how the battle may play out.
What makes this rematch interesting, aside from the fact that the first fight was so close, is the caliber of boxing that will be on display in Saudi Arabia. Beterbiev is a hard hitting, effectively aggressive, master of ring dominance. Bivol, on the other gloved hand, is a defensive maestro who is far stronger than some might think. Just ask Canelo Alvarez, who Bivol bested some years back. The second fight between these men, much like the first, will feature style against style, strategy versus strategy, and – ultimately – performance versus performance. Again, it’s hard to tell how the battle will play out.
While the light heavyweights will be the feature on February 22nd, the entire card is quite loaded. Daniel Dubois will face Joseph Parker in a heavyweight showdown. Vergil Ortiz, who had been expected to face Jaron “Boots” Ennis will likely square off against Israil Madrimov. Shakur Stevenson will square off against Floyd Schofield. And that’s not the entire lineup. Without doubt, fans have responded positively to the card. Very positively. When you win over the internet, you’re doing something right… especially if you’re a major fight promotion. Saudi Arabia has without doubt upped the fight game.
