Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol 2 - Tale of the Tape: Weight, height, reach, trainers, records & more

We analyse the profiles and attributes of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol ahead of the pair's hotly anticipated rematch for the undisputed light-heavyweight championship of the world.

Not every great fight is a toe-to-toe slugfest. Over the years we have watched in awe as warriors such as Marvin Hagler, Arturo Gatti, Erik Morales, Manny Pacquiao and many more have neglected the sweet science for trench warfare.

There are also fights where the skill and ring intelligence on display are so high that the admiration from observers is just as great.

In October the ferocious front foot style of Artur Beterbiev and the balletic boxing of Dmitry Bivol complemented each other perfectly to produce a thrilling and absorbing contest which Beterbiev won narrowly.

The two best light heavyweights in the world return to Riyadh for their undisputed title rematch on Saturday but who will win this time round?

Let’s look at the Tale of the Tape.

Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol 2 - Tale of the Tape

	Artur Beterbiev	Dmitry Bivol
Age	40	34
Height	5ft 11½ins	6ft
Reach	73ins	72ins
Weight	Light-heavyweight	Light-heavyweight
Trainer	Marc Ramsay	Gennadiy Mashyanov
Record	21-0 (20 KOs)	23-1 (12 KOs)
Last fight	Won (MD) v Dmitry Bivol (October 2024)	L (MD) v Artur Beterbiev (October 2024)

Artur Beterbiev - In Profile

One of Artur Beterbiev’s greatest qualities – his chin – was heavily relied on in the first encounter with Dmitry Bivol.

The Russian’s ability to cut down the ring was frequently stopped by Bivol’s slashing shots which tagged Beterbiev more often than the efforts of the 40-year-old’s 20 previous opponents.

Beterbiev will know he was somewhat fortunate to get the verdict five months ago, meaning slight adjustments will need to be made. A consistent argument is Beterbiev’s body shot should be thrown earlier and more consistently than fight one if he is to slow down his opponent.

As the rounds wore on during the undisputed clash there was evidence to suggest Bivol was affected by the body shots. Thudding Bivol’s mid-section and therefore affecting his mobility, response and speed plays massively into the champion’s favour.

The fact remains, though, that because these two are so well-matched they will likely have answers to any new questions posed. Like so many fights on the 22nd February 'The Last Crescendo' super card in Riyadh, this is another coin flip.

Beterbiev wasn’t at his best when Bivol was yet still walked out as champion. It’s difficult to imagine a better Beterbiev being beaten by a Bivol who may not to be able to eclipse his last performance.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Reputation	Lot of mileage
Power	Cuts
Closing the distance	Defence
Ruthlessness

Dmitry Bivol - In Profile

Dmitry Bivol has often been accused of being too apprehensive; a fighter who coasts and one who doesn’t put his foot down and get rid of fighters when he’s on top.

Against Artur Beterbiev the performance of Bivol was everything and more fans expected, but the former WBA champion wasn’t overly impressed with himself.

A fighter of Bivol’s quality needs space to operate but against Beterbiev he stood in the pocket, and once he tasted the reputable power of his opponent, rarely looked uncomfortable standing up against the formidable champion.

Five months later both men now know what the other is about and sometimes than can lead to a boring rematch.

However, Bivol felt aggrieved at the decision in October and believed he did enough to win. Second time round the challenger’s world class combinations and zinging hooks will need to be firing consistently and early to fend off boxing’s equivalent of The Terminator.

Whatever happens we will be treated to another elite encounter where once again it will likely come down to a split decision to separate them.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Timing	Knockout power
Footwork	Needs top opposition to perform
Exquisite puncher	Repeats patterns too often
Co-ordination	Reverts to amateur style