Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2: Tale of the Tape

Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol clashed in a huge undisputed light-heavyweight fight at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia in October and the big-hitting duo are heading back to Riyadh to do it all again on February 22.

Beterbiev was awarded a narrow and controversial majority-decision victory in the first Saudi showdown in what was a closely-fought and hard to score contest. 

Nevertheless, Bivol suffered the first defeat of his career at the hands of the 39-year-old and the Kyrgyzstan fighter must now find a way to turn the tables.

Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol 2: Tale of the Tape

Fighter Bio	Artur Beterbiev	Dmitry Bivol
Odds:	-125	+100
Age:	39	34
Nickname:	Artur the Great Destroyer or The KO King	N/A
Height:	5 ft 11½ in	6 ft
Reach:	73 in	72 in
Weight:	Light heavyweight	Light heavyweight
Trainer:	Marc Ramsay	Gennadiy Mashyanov
Record:	21-0 (20 KO)	23-1 (12 KO)
Titles:	WBC, IBF, WBO, WBA (Super), IBO and The Ring light-heavyweight titles	N/A
Last fight:	Win by majority decision v Dmitry Bivol (Oct 2024)	Loss by majority decision v Artur Beterbiev (Oct 2024)

Read Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 fight date, ring walk time, undercard, how to watch

Artur Beterbiev record

Artur Beterbiev has long been viewed as the most menacing and destructive active  light-heavyweight and the 39-year-old passed the biggest test of his career when beating Dmitry Bivol and claiming the undisputed crown in October.

Occasionally a slow starter, Beterbiev made an early move when getting the better of Callum Smith in his fight prior to facing Bivol, as from the first bell, the unified champion was immediately in the Brit’s face, suffocating him with pressure and punches.

That seventh-round stoppage win was a message from Beterbiev to anyone choosing to write him off. Smith was fancied to be a live underdog because of his power, reach and height but Beterbiev chewed him up and spat him out in one of his best performances to date.

It was much the same when the Canada-based boxer dismissed the challenges of Joe Smith Jr and Anthony Yarde and the 39-year-old is a fearsome performer. 

Beterbiev had won all of his 20 previous bouts by stoppage before tackling Bivol, but the 34-year-old was able to take the undisputed light-heavyweight king all the way to the final bell. 

That was a close fight, and perhaps Bivol produced the more technically sound work, but the pressure, presence and intimidation swung the fight in favour of Beterbiev. 

The Russian may be towards the end of his career at the age of 39, but the champion certainly didn’t appear to be slowing when winning in Saudi Arabia in October and another victory could await Artur the great.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Pressure	Age
Work ethic	Cuts
Closing the distance	Defense
Power

Dmitry Bivol record

Even before Bivol outclassed Canelo Alvarez in 2022 he was already regarded as one of the best boxers in the world. 

Obviously, his star power was, and is, not the same as the Mexican, but his domination over Canelo was further evidence that his ring craft operates on a different level to most.

However, unlike Beterbiev, who brings blood and thunder to the table, Bivol is a technically sound and hard to hit light-heavyweight. 

The 34-year-old’s movement, footwork, hand speed and ring mastery have been a joy to watch and all of those attributes were in evidence when the Kyrgyzstan man lost to Beterbiev in October. 

The first Saudi Arabia fight was a closely-fought contest, and with age perhaps catching up with Beterbiev, Bivol will hope to turn the tables on his rival this time around.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Movement	Knockout power
Footwork	Lack of punch output
Counter punching
Technical ability

* Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change