Comments Thread For: Bivol Sides With Beterbiev To Topple Joe Smith - Wants To Unify With Winner

[JuniorTorres720]

I saw a video from the post fight press conference in which Hearn tells Bivol that he didn’t expect Bivol to perform the way he did after seeing his last two fights. Only proving that Canelo and team underestimated Bivol. Was it a feat worthy of admiration? Sure. But not to the extent some of us have labeled it. Hearn clearly admits that he didn’t expect the Bivol from this past Saturday after watching his last two fights. They thought they were going to catch Bivol slipping.

[GrandpaBernard]

Bivol vs Smith

Russia vs America

and it won't end like rocky

[Monty Fisto]

Absolutely want to see Bivol vs Beterbiev.

Would be a brilliant fight for the purist.

Beterbiev is rock solid, super strong.

Bivol has fast hands, good feet, solid chin.

Bring it on.

[MaksBox]

Bivol vs Smith

Russia vs America

and it won't end like rocky

We already did that.... Bivol outboxed Smith Jr. =) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP1fojwJZIc

[Boxing Logic]

Beterbiev underrated boxing skills made Gvozdyk look basic, just another Beterbiev victim.

I agree Beterbiev has great boxing skills especially his mind and judging of space and reactions to each situation in the moment, however Gvozdyk some amazing mental reaction speed in complex positions vs Stevenson too. I am not criticizng Beterbiev, he is a light heavyweight who fought even with the current 3 belt heavyweight champion and undisputed cruiserweight champion. Beterbiev might not just be the best LHW right now, he might be the best in many years, and he might be the best cruiserweight right now also. However, Gvozdyk looked poor vs him, and he still had a lot of issues with a really bad version of Gvozdyk, so it made me question what was going on with both of them. Before Beterbiev even did anything, the first straight right hand Gvozdyk threw in the fight, he awkwardly fell to the left side, and he kept doing that all fight. His straight right hand seemed to have 50% of its normal thrust on it, and no surprise Beterbiev walked through it like nothing. It wasn't the same right hand velocity and power, with his weight behind it, that he threw vs Stevenson.

Just more inconsistency in this sport that I started to question in this post https://www.boxingscene.com/forums/b...lo-is-involved.

Also since I said Gvozdyk vs Stevenson was the best 175 I'd seen the last 15 years, I wanted to clarify that since I don't remember as well the top light heavyweights that far back, if Roy Jones was still fighting or how to compare fighters like that with no triangle theory. But RJJ, BHop, and Tarver were all legit. Anyway I wanted to clarify not just the the timeframe, but whether it would be Gvozdyk, Beterbiev, Bivol, or Ward or Stevenson or Kovalev. Not sure I touched on the last three but here is what I already wrote in another thread and all I want to write about today.

I said that Gvozdyk was the best 175 I've seen the last 15 years, well maybe that's false, maybe Beterbiev's whole career just because to be literally like twice as strong and powerful as even the elite in that division, while being so close to them at everything else, and being so smart and tactically astute, it just seems like he really could be a modern Rocky Marciano, or a truly great all time light heavyweight. I mean, if his amateur career is any clue, he is the only one out of Bivol, Ward, Gvozdyk, and Kovalev to have success at heavyweight in the amateurs. And didn't he either beat or at least fight very even vs Usyk. Any light heavyweight that could be competitive with the current Usyk, it seems like they are an all time great light heavyweight and no one else, even as good as Bivol, should have much chance vs them at 175. But what I do I know.

However, I thought he and Gvozdyk both had showings that lowered both their stocks, with Gvozdyk unable to throw a proper power punch without falling sideways, and with Beterbiev losing rounds to an opponent who suddenly out of the blue was unable to throw a proper power punch without falling sideways. Gvozdyk looking so bad set the whole tone for the show where now because he looks bad, any competitive aspect to the fight at all will also make Beterbiev look bad, and I felt like that's what happened.

But if we compare the best Gvozdyk (vs Stevenson at the top level, and then maybe vs Mohammedi early in his career) to the best Beterbiev (almost any of his fights except vs Gvozdyk and the first two rounds vs Browne), if I had to pick, they would both overpower and out-variety the Bivol that fought Canelo, they would both beat Kovalev, they would both beat Ward at 175. The Bivol that fought Barrera, he might or might not beat Gvozdyk, but as for Beterbiev, if he couldn't stop Canelo moving forward with his punches, how will he stop Beterbiev coming forward?

I mean, some of these fights are so inconsistent, as far as the levels of power a fighter has or the skills, so you can really say whoever you want to win will win. I think it sends a better message to kids watching if Bivol or Gvozdyk come out on top over Beterbiev, Ward, and Kovalev, not that they should be watching Boxing at all but you get the point, so if I could pick, I guess I'd pick that, but as far as going off past results and trying to make some sort of consistency out of the inconsistent performances, I think the skill gap between Beterbiev and Bivol is less than the power and strength gap, because Beterbiev really does seem like the single strongest and most powerful boxer in the whole sport relative to his division, and it almost doesn't seem close. Who else in the entire sport does it feel like could do bicep curls with every other boxer in his division, or wrist curls? (Exaggeration, but...)

And Beterbiev and Gvozdyk went the hard road through the division, Gvozdyk vs Stevenson and vs Beterbiev, probably the most difficult opponents both in skill and literal danger any boxer has had in one year in who knows how long, and Beterbiev vs Gvozdyk and to some extent Browne. Whereas Bivol went through the cash cow but not the big dangermen at 175. Bivol does have a deeper resume at 175 after the top level, maybe: Joe Smith Jr, Pascal, Chilemba (but Gvozdyk fought him too), Barrera, but Gvozdyk knocked out the Cuban who got robbed vs Pascal in a few rounds, he stopped Chilemba which Bivol couldn't, and Beterbiev fought Johnson and Kalidjic who are as good and maybe better than Smith Jr, Pascal, Chilemba, and Barrera.

Besides Beterbiev's fight vs Gvozdyk which is hard to make much sense of because Gvozdyk looked so goofy in it, he's shown the worst vs Browne and Dienes, which makes you question if he's just worse vs southpaws than orthodox? But then that can't be made much sense of either due to the fact, on the other hand, perhaps his greatest claim to being the best LHW is his success against Usyk in the amateurs, and Usyk is a southpaw. Just more inconsistency...

But the people involved in this know so much more about Boxing than I do it's not even funny. So if it the results are meant to be true to reality, then they will be better able to figure all that out, and determine if maybe power and strength aren't as important as some of Bivol's advantages, given the specific styles and techniques and everything involved, or if they are, and the result will be much more realistic than whatever makes sense to me based on what I saw in past fights. But if no one really cares about that, and it's just about the desired result at the time, then that's what it will be, but I'm just pointing out it does seem inconsistent that Bivol has no punching power vs a smaller guy in Canelo but the exact same punches with the exact same preventative-mentality have much more punching power vs bigger stronger guys than Canelo. I think the explanation is supposed to be that Canelo went on PEDs and has a thick neck, but Pascal has an even thicker neck, and also tested positive for PEDs, and is much bigger and stronger than Canelo, and Bivol's punches still seemed impact Pascal's head harder.

[Superbee]

Styles make fights... And I don't see more opposite styles then Bivol and Beterbiev, both Masters in their own style ...

[Haka]

I agree Beterbiev has great boxing skills especially his mind and judging of space and reactions to each situation in the moment, however Gvozdyk some amazing mental reaction speed in complex positions vs Stevenson too. I am not criticizng Beterbiev, he is a light heavyweight who fought even with the current 3 belt heavyweight champion and undisputed cruiserweight champion. Beterbiev might not just be the best LHW right now, he might be the best in many years, and he might be the best cruiserweight right now also. However, Gvozdyk looked poor vs him, and he still had a lot of issues with a really bad version of Gvozdyk, so it made me question what was going on with both of them. Before Beterbiev even did anything, the first straight right hand Gvozdyk threw in the fight, he awkwardly fell to the left side, and he kept doing that all fight. His straight right hand seemed to have 50% of its normal thrust on it, and no surprise Beterbiev walked through it like nothing. It wasn't the same right hand velocity and power, with his weight behind it, that he threw vs Stevenson.

Just more inconsistency in this sport that I started to question in this post https://www.boxingscene.com/forums/b...lo-is-involved.

Also since I said Gvozdyk vs Stevenson was the best 175 I'd seen the last 15 years, I wanted to clarify that since I don't remember as well the top light heavyweights that far back, if Roy Jones was still fighting or how to compare fighters like that with no triangle theory. But RJJ, BHop, and Tarver were all legit. Anyway I wanted to clarify not just the the timeframe, but whether it would be Gvozdyk, Beterbiev, Bivol, or Ward or Stevenson or Kovalev. Not sure I touched on the last three but here is what I already wrote in another thread and all I want to write about today.

I agree that The Nail was terrifying after the Stevenson win. Yet Beter put him away like a little kid. How can one lose it's power from one fight to the other. For one I think that Teddy Atlas is a bad trainer that can't keep his mouth shut, and influenced him negatively (too much thinking, no more fighting on instinct, but that happens when a new trainer that thinks he has invented boxing keeps shouting in your ear 24/7). Second reason is the same reason why Bivol wasn't throwing with power against Canelo; Beter en Canelo have great tactical minds so they are able to catch you on the move. Pascal can not do this as well so Bivol can get away with committing more to his punches and evade the opponent coming in after he is done with his combos. I agree that Beterbiev amateur resume is one of the best and he proves it every time in the pro rankings, physically, mentally destroying his opponents. It is sad that he went pro so late.

---- edit

The point your making about Bivol throwing so cautious against Canelo could be the deciding factor about Beterbiev - Bivol. It would seem Beterbiev is going walk right through him and rough him up from start to finish. He isn't able to get away from Beterbiev because he is able to throw devastating punches on the move with little effort, and seems to cost him little energy.