Dmitry Bivol says he understands he needs to try a different strategy to get a rematch with undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in their fight in 60 days on February 22 in Riyadh.
Can Bivol change?
In order for Bivol to get a rematch, he must change his fighting style from defensive to focus on aggressiveness and staying in the pocket. With his fragile chin, lack of strength, age and reluctance to hit, it is unlikely that Bivol can change. He is 34 years old and quite stable.
Former WBA 175lb champion Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) doesn't come right out and say it, but he spent too much time running away from Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) after surprising him with a heavy jab in the seventh round.
After that round, Bivol (34) did not show a desire to keep his position, and in the last five rounds he did one long, bitter retreat. It was astonishing to see Bivol give up and run, giving up the battle and thinking only of survival; he showed weakness and unwillingness to fight. Beterbiev took advantage of Bivol's reluctance to fight.
I don't know what can change in the second leg. When a fighter is afraid, as Bivol showed, that does not change in the rematch. That fear is still there. In return, you achieve the same results, and the fans go home dissatisfied.
Turki Alalashikh should have matched Beterbiev against David Benavidez, Joshua Buatsi or David Morrell, not set up a rematch with Bivola. Dmitry should have earned a rematch by going through one or two of those fighters, not being given it after a loss.
The score was 116-112, 115-113 for Beterbiev and 114-114. Some boxing fans thought 116-112 was too wide, but that reflected Bivol's inability to stand and fight. He used a hit-and-dash style, which showed that he was unwilling to fight. Unsurprisingly, Bivolo's punches lacked power as his mind focused on escape. In other words, Bivol was just spoiling.
Sixty days to change
Dmitri's fans believed he had done enough to deserve the win, but it was obvious to everyone else that Beterbiev had dominated the last six rounds, giving him a scare. Beterbiev exposed Bivol for his lack of courage under fire. We've already seen Bivol look scared when Lyndon Arthur hurt him in the eighth round on December 23, 2023.
“I have one more chance and (Turki Alalshikh) said about this date the day after the fight. He wanted to play a rematch on this date. He asked me, he asked Beterbiev, who said yes, and since that day I have had it in my head that I will have this opportunity again,” Dmitry Bivol told Fighthype about getting another chance to fight Artur Beterbiev.
“Of course I have to do something different and I know what I'm going to add, I know what I'm going to change a little bit.”
Rabbit And Wolf
Turki gave Buffalo another chance, but it won't help him if he doesn't fight with more heart and stop being the cowardly rabbit he was last time. Beterbiev chased him like a wolf around the ring in the last part of the fight, and it seemed that Bivol had given up. He was just hoping to win by an ugly decision.