Beterbiev vs Bivol – Did We Witness a Classic?
Beterbiev vs Bivol was a ‘pick em’ fight from the announcement. The classic Soviet style of Bivol vs the come-forward, relentless pressure of Beterbiev.
You could make a strong argument for both men, and as boxing fans I think we all did. I myself flip flopped all the way up to the fight, and concluded that frankly, I didn’t have a clue who was going to win, and that I just wanted to see a great display of boxing.
Thanks to both men, we did.
I’m not here to pick over the bones of the result – there’s plenty of opportunities to do that. What we’re looking at here is whether or not we’ve just witnessed a modern day classic?
From the first round we saw relentless action. Bivol dominated the centre ring, and picked off Beterbiev almost at will. In the boxer vs the brawler stakes, the boxer was winning. For the first couple of rounds, Bivol was controlling the fight and Beterbiev was struggling to make anything of note land.
The worry for Bivol would be no matter what he threw at Beterbiev, he still kept coming. Bivol was frequently landing clean, heavy shots on his opponent but it didn’t seem to matter. He just kept walking forward, engaging in the war. Beterbiev started to do well in the third round, and the contest evened out from there.
As the fight wore on, the narrative remained the same. Bivol was technically cleaner, but Beterbiev the aggressor. He kept coming forward, looking to push the action. He was landing a few big shots, but unlike his previous 20 opponents, Bivol wasn’t going anywhere. When it came to scoring Beterbiev vs Bivol, it was largely down to what the judges liked – aggression or technical supremacy.
And that’s what made this a great fight – a mutual respect existed between the fighters, but no fear. They both displayed their respective skills – Bivol boxed, Beterbiev brawled.
Neither man ran, they stood and fought.
In the latter rounds, the pressing from Beterbiev saw him dominate the fight more. Bivol was beginning to tire, and it allowed a few more of Beterbiev’s heavier shots to sneak through. There was swelling around Bivol’s left eye, but in all honesty he never wobbled – something Beterbiev hasn’t seen before.
We’ve seen plenty of epic title fights over the years, and for the purists this is one to add to the list. All of the marbles were up for grabs, both men gave it their all, there was lots of debate about the result and hopefully, a rematch. Beterbiev vs Bivol has earned its status as one of the great title fights.
What Makes a Classic Boxing Match?
So here’s the difficulty. The size of the fight wasn’t historical in terms of venue or significance. Whilst boxing fans were aware of the magnitude, the casual fan probably not so.
Ask the man in the street had he heard of either, and I doubt they’d say yes. To the boxing world, the magnitude was huge. The unified titles, two undefeated warriors. The Saudi money, the inability to pick a winner, the debate over the result. Beterbiev vs Bivol was one for the purists.
Bivol had quietly made his way through the ranks, picking up win after win. Steaming through the ranks, he caught the attention of Canelo Alvarez, who (in my opinion) probably saw Bivol as the easiest of the light heavyweight belt holders.
Canelo fucked around, and found out.
Beterbiev was arguably the bigger name, and certainly had the more impressive resume. An impeccable 20 fights, 20 wins, all by knockout. Recent wins over Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith brought him to the attention of UK fight fans.
Fans and pundits alike were split on the winner.
Beterbiev vs Bivol – A Purists Classic
Boxer vs Fighter – both elite, both at the peak of their powers. There was no early finish, no quitters and despite the result, both fighters won. They’ve both had a huge payday, they’ve left with their reputations boosted, and there’s lots of call for a rematch.
In my opinion, anyone who watched Beterbiev vs Bivol saw a classic.
