Artur Beterbiev says he wants to fight Bivol next
Sports
Artur Beterbiev says he wants to fight Bivol next
LAHORE (Web Desk) – Russian boxer Artur Beterbiev has stated his desire to fight Dmitry Bivol to unify the four light heavyweight championships. After defeating Anthony Yarde at Wembley Arena, Beterbiev expressed his hope for the two fighters to determine who is truly the best.
After defeating Anthony Yarde at Wembley Arena, Beterbiev declared, "I want the next job, I want Bivol, it’s the fight I want."
— RINGOFHIGHLIGHTS (@ringofhighlight) January 29, 2023
"In this fight we would have all four belts at stake and in the end we will not know until the day we fight, which of the two is better," he continued.
On Jan 28, in a challenging match against Yarde, Beterbiev successfully defended all three of his championships. The Englishman outperformed the Russian in numerous rounds and even connected with him, shaking his legs.
When the knockout occurred at Wembley, even Artur had a lower score on two of the three judges scorecards. Nevertheless, Yarde was punished by a potent combination in the eighth round, and the corner made the call to end the contest.
Beterbiev improved his record to 19-0 with this victory, all of which came by way of knockout.
"Every fight is different," said the Russian-born boxer. "I am not going to say that I had a bad fight, but I think that if I did it again, I would look to do better. He was prepared for all the blows he gave me, but I think he has a good future ahead of him".
Beterbiev calls out Bivol
Despite Beterbiev’s ambition, a confrontation with Bivol is currently far from certain. The WBC stated late last year that the victor of the fight must face Callum Smith in a mandatory defense.
For his part, Bivol has not yet decided what he will do in 2023, but he has stated that Artur Beterbiev is the opponent he wants. He and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez are already in discussions to hold the rematch in September.
The matchup between Bivol and Beterbiev has become complicated due to the fact that they are both undefeated and are represented by different promoters. Bivol is with Matchroom, while Beterbiev is with Top Rank.
