Bivol's No. 1 objective in Beterbiev rematch is to 'do more'
Looks to avenge only loss and claim undisputed light heavyweight title
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Dmitry Bivol said it over and over when asked to reflect on his extremely close decision loss to Artur Beterbiev when the two best light heavyweights in the world met to crown the division’s first undisputed champion in the 25 years since the legendary Roy Jones Jr. did it in 1999 and the first of the four-belt era.
Over and over Bivol said he had to do more — more moments, more punches, more accuracy. More of everything.
Although he claimed he has come to grips with his first career defeat, it clearly still bothers him four months after Beterbiev got the nod 116-112 and 115-113 with one judge scoring a fight in which virtually every round was close 114-114.
“Of course, I was disappointed that I didn’t win. It was my first loss, but generally I didn’t like myself because I didn’t do well,” Bivol told Fight Freaks Unite. “You know, if I look at myself, I could be better, but I wasn’t and this is enough for me. I just didn’t like myself that night.
“There were some good moments, but it could be more. I could do more. And now I have to be focused on my second fight and I have to do much more. I have to create much more good moments.”
Bivol, who lost the WBA belt to lineal champion Beterbiev in the four-belt unification fight, will have the chance to avenge the loss and win the undisputed title in an immediate rematch in the main event of a loaded Riyadh Season card on Saturday (DAZN PPV, PPV.COM, $25.99, 10:30 a.m. ET) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the same location where their first fight took place on Oct. 12.
It almost seems to pain him when he talks about the loss.
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“In the beginning, I was like, ‘OK, this is my life. I have to deal with this,’” Bivol said of how he felt in the aftermath. “Then I was OK. Then some days I wasn’t happy that I’m not a champion anymore, but not too much. Thank God, I didn’t get injured. I didn’t break my hand or something else. I got experience and I got the rematch. It was fine.”
And then moments later, the pain of the defeat is evident again, but so too is the promise of what could be on Saturday, that he could not only avenge his loss but become the undisputed champion.
“To be honest, I didn’t want to be to have a loss,” Bivol said. “I wanted to be zero in my losses. It just destroyed my record. Now I cannot change anything that happened. But it’s I just need to take revenge. Of course, it will be good for myself, just for my personality, that I can take revenge and also (win the) belts of course.”
The notion that he could have done more pours out of him when he recounts the fight, which was lost to him because although the rounds were close, Beterbiev swept the final three on all three scorecards.
“It was just it was a very close fight and, yeah, maybe he was more lucky on that day that his style was better for judges, but it doesn’t matter,” Bivol said. “I didn’t count rounds even when I was watching the fight, but my feeling was that, yeah, I could I could do more.
“I need to I need to be more precise. I don’t want to say more direct things, but generally, I just need to do more so everybody not questioning who’s the winner of this fight. I want to be like, ‘Oh, this fight is finished, and even the people could turn off the TV because they know who wins this fight.’”
Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs), 34, of Russia, could not even find the silver lining that despite the close loss he became the first opponent to force Beterbiev to go the distance. Beterbiev entered the fight as the only reigning world champion with a perfect knockout percentage.
“I’m not proud because I should win this fight,” Bivol said. “I came not to lose the fight. I came to win this fight. I had only this in my head.”
Although nobody but Bivol has gone the distance with Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs), 40, a two-time Russian Olympian, who is now a Canadian citizen based in Montreal, Bivol did give him credit for the punching power that helped him score several devastating knockouts.
“He’s very strong, He has natural power. He’s really strong,” said Bivol, a more technical boxer than puncher compared to Beterbiev. “His fists are very heavy. The best heavy puncher (I’ve faced).”
After the loss, Beterbiev’s team pushed for an immediate rematch, petitioning the organizations to order one. As it turned out, it was not necessary.
Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, who oversees Riyadh Season, told reporters after the fight that he thought Bivol had won by two rounds. He vowed to make a rematch and his money talks. Beterbiev’s position was that if Alalshikh wanted to put on a rematch he was in.
Bivol said he was grateful to his team and Alalshikh for securing him a second shot.
“It means a lot,” Bivol said. “It means that I’m gonna have another chance and I appreciate so much Turki Alalshikh for this move, for what he's doing, and I think even boxing fans want to see another fight.
“I also appreciate the organizations that they support this decision about (the) rematch. It was really hard work for my team. My manager, Vadim (Kornilov), was dealing with this a lot. I wasn’t interfering because it’s not my job. My job is to be in the gym. But Vadim, Turki Alalshikh, promoter Eddie Hearn, and all organizations, they came to a conclusion and this is what we see today that we will have rematch.”
If Bivol defeats Beterbiev and they are 1-1, Alalshikh has said a trilogy fight could be in the cards, which Bivol is not opposed to. But he also usually likes to have goals in the back of his mind beyond just the fight in front of him.
Although Beterbiev, of course, poses a stiff challenge, Bivol has been thinking about a move up to cruiserweight to pursue another world title. It’s a division with quality potential opponents in lineal/IBF champion Jai Opetaia and WBO/WBA titleholder Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, who are both associated with Riyadh Season and may meet later this year in a three-belt unification fight.
“I was running (recently) and I was thinking about (how) I always think that (my next fight) is my last fight and I have to be focused on this fight. But also I have some small plan behind it,” Bivol said. “After the fight against Malik Zinad (in June 2024) I (knew I) will have Arthur Beterbiev fight, but I have to be focused on Zinad. With Beterbiev fight I didn’t have this future plan and now I was running and I was thinking (about) something more fun — maybe I will move to cruiserweight. Why not?
“I have to have some goal for the future (and) the goal should be with belts. Of course, I want to have belts. I cannot go down (in weight) now because there everybody with belts is already busy like (unified super middleweight champion) Canelo (Alvarez), (Terence) Crawford. They have their own business (in September) and I’m not sure about what’s going on there, and maybe I have to think about cruiserweight, like just a little bit. Why not? If other fighters move (up in weight) why can’t I? I can also. But first of all, I have to think about the rematch.”
And, as Bivol said about that rematch, he must do more.
Beterbiev-Bivol II PPV lineup
Light heavyweights: Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) vs. Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs), rematch, for Beterbiev’s undisputed title
Heavyweights: Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) vs. Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs), for Parker’s WBO interim title
Lightweights: Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) vs. Josh Padley (15-0, 4 KOs), for Stevenson’s WBC title
Middleweights: Carlos Adames (24-1, 18 KOs) vs. Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs), for Adames’ WBC title
Junior middleweights: Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) vs. Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs), for Ortiz’s WBC interim title
Heavyweights: Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) vs. Agit Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs), for vacant WBC interim title
Light heavyweights: Joshua Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs) vs. Callum Smith (30-2, 22 KOs), for Buatsi’s WBO interim title
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Team Bivol UD 🥊🥊🥊
Beterbiev wins another close fight this time it won’t go the distance