Beterbiev vs. Bivol: The “big” fight sells because both boxers have no interest in it

The second most important boxing match of 2024 will take place at the same site where this year’s most historically significant fight took place a little less than five months ago.

Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol fight at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night because Turki Alalshikh – the only man willing to meet their respective asking prices – wants to go there. Beterbiev, Bivol and members of their teams all admitted during a final press conference in Riyadh on Thursday evening that their long-awaited showdown would not have finally happened if Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority had not fully funded it.

Its promoters could not take their light heavyweight title unification fight to Russia – where Beterbiev was born and raised and Bivol spent much of his life – because boxing’s sanctioning bodies would not support the event there as long as Russia continued its war with Ukraine . Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs), who was born in Kyrgyzstan, was hesitant to box Beterbiev in Montreal, where Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) has lived and trained for more than a decade, because he would have anyway If they had made their fight more profitable, the undefeated WBA champion would have been at a significant disadvantage.

Bringing Beterbiev vs. Bivol to Las Vegas, New York or Los Angeles wouldn’t have worked economically either, for the reason that was so obvious as they sat several feet apart in the Saudi capital on Thursday night. Although this fight in the ring is historically significant and fascinating, pitted between two of the top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the sport, it basically sells itself because neither Beterbiev nor Bivol have the slightest interest in seeing it to promote.

This fight should Mind you, Bivol promoter Eddie Hearn doubled down on Thursday when he called Beterbiev “arrogant” for essentially being an uncooperative participant in promoting a fight that, unless there is a draw or a contest, will be , the first fully unified boxing match will crown heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.

English is not the first language of Beterbiev or Bivol, which partly prevented them from becoming bigger stars in the United States. The American market was more important before this Saudi cash injection into the industry, as the above factors prevented promoters from bringing Beterbiev vs. Bivol to Russia or Quebec.

Still, both boxers have preferred to let their hands do the talking in a business that, whether they like it or not, requires more than the entertainment value that even Beterbiev’s 100 percent knockout rate has provided since turning professional 11 years ago.

That’s why Hearn was quick to joke that Beterbiev “should give it a go” when the undefeated IBF/WBC/WBO 175-pound champion claimed that the big-hearted Matchroom Boxing chairman “talks a lot.”

“I find him arrogant,” Hearn explained. “I think all fighters are arrogant. I think you have to be arrogant. But [calling Beterbiev arrogant] It’s been more frustrating trying to make sure the world knows what this fight is and what it means. Because as ice-cold as Artur Beterbiev and as ice-cold as Dmitry Bivol is, there is still that little boy who got into boxing, who changed his life through boxing and who dreamed of winning every belt in the sport.

“And sometimes one-word answers don’t always tell me the pure emotion and significance of what winning Saturday night would mean to them. Artur Beterbiev is one of the greatest fighters of our generation. And the man on my right [Bivol] is one of the purest boxers I have ever seen.”

Much like the biggest boxing match of 2024, Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury, Beterbiev vs. Bivol is widely viewed as a fight that could go either way. Fury, of course, is a PT Barnum-level carnival barker who single-handedly sells his heavyweight fights.

His promotional skills helped Fury and Ukraine’s Usyk earn a combined purse of nearly $100 million for a heavyweight title unification match, which Usyk won by split decision on May 18. Their immediate rematch is scheduled for December 21st at Kingdom Arena.

Beterbiev, 39, and Bivol, 33, will each earn about $10 million for a fight that Beterbiev’s main promoter, Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc., arranged to get off the troubled pay-per-view platform in is kept out of the United States. American fans with ESPN+ subscriptions can watch Beterbiev vs. Bivol live for no additional fee, while British boxing enthusiasts will have to pay £19.99 to watch the main event of a DAZN pay-per-view event in the UK.

Bivol believes his boxing skills, ring IQ and athleticism will help set this technician apart from Beterbiev, a punishing puncher whose boxing skills are underrated. Bivol, a long-time champion, upset superstar Canelo Alvarez via unanimous decision in May 2022, but was unable to capitalize on the momentum of his convincing, legacy-changing victory as the two were unable to financially agree on a rematch.

Meanwhile, Beterbiev is seeking his own breakthrough performance near the end of a career limited to 20 fights in 11 years, thanks in large part to various injuries and the devout Muslim’s protracted legal battle with former promoter Yvon Michel.

“It’s hard to argue with perfection — 20-0, 20 knockouts,” said Top Rank Chief Operating Officer Brad Jacobs. “The man did it. He is a real professional. If you look up the word “professional fighter” in the dictionary, you’ll see his picture. What you see is what you get. There’s so much at stake in this fight – undisputed, undefeated, the winner certainly checks his ticket to the Hall of Fame. So we’re really looking forward to it and trust that the Knockout Force will win at the end of the day.”

While Beterbiev is eager to finally face Bivol, the closest he comes to talking nonsense is when the vicious knockout artist insists that this fight didn’t happen sooner because Bivol doesn’t really want it.

Manager Vadim Kornilov, who has worked with Bivol for almost a decade, refuted Beterbiev’s assumption that Bivol had avoided him, as had Hearn. They also claimed that Bivol’s strength had been overlooked because before he stopped previously unbeaten Malik Zinad in the sixth round in his last fight on June 1 in Riyadh, each of Bivol’s previous nine fights had gone the distance of 12 rounds.

“That’s it,” Hearn said. “This is the moment for both men. I believe that Dmitry Bivol will become the undisputed world champion on Saturday evening. He will realize his life’s dream. And he fights at the level of the competition and has the biggest opponent in the division in front of him on Saturday evening. There is only one man in the world who can beat Artur Beterbiev and that is Dmitry Bivol. And that will happen on Saturday evening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.”