One of the biggest fights of the year so far is set for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week as Dmitry Bivol looks to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion when he takes on Artur Beterbiev in a huge fight for Riyadh Season, where someone's undefeated record will go.
Bivol is coming off the back of a stoppage win over Malik Zinad in Saudi Arabia back in June, while Beterbiev returns to the ring for the first time since a dominant knockout victory over Callum Smith back in January.
We'll take a look at the matchup and provide you with our best free boxing betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action.
Check out the best betting bonuses available with bookmakers here.
Dmitry Bivol v Artur Beterbiev information
- Saturday, October 12th 2024
- Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Light Heavyweight division (175-pound limit)
- 12 x 3 minute rounds
- Undisputed Light Heavyweight championship
- Expected ring walk: 18:15 ET
Dmitry Bivol v Artur Beterbiev odds
- Dmitry Bivol - (-145)
- Artur Beterbiev - (+125)
The current reigning WBA and IBO light heavyweight champion, Bivol comes into this fight with a perfect 23-0 and professional record which includes 12 wins by knockout.
Already considered one of the best in the world at the time, Bivol's star really took off when he claimed a dominant unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez back in May 2022, preventing the Mexican from becoming undisputed in yet another weight class. Since then he has claimed dominant wins over Gilberto Ramirez and Lyndon Arthur on the scorecards, before a sixth-round stoppage win over Malik Zinad last time out.
That fight came about because Beterbiev pulled out injured of the original date in June with a torn meniscus, and the Russian wanted to stay active and stay on the card.
He comes into this fight as the bookies favorite with a price of -145, meaning you must bet $145 to receive a $100 profit if he is successful.
But he will be coming up against another fighter who is considered to be high up in the pound-for-pound rankings, with the reigning WBC, IBF and WBO light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev. With a 20-0 professional record, including 20 knockout wins, there aren't many more feared fighters in the world than him.
After retaining his IBF and WBC tites with a ninth-round knockout of Marcus Browne in December 2021, Beterbiev took on Joe Smith Jr and earned second-round stoppage to add the WBO light-heavyweight title to his cabinet too. Since then he has defended all three belts twice, stopping Anthony Yarde in England in the eighth-round before smashing past Callum Smith in the seventh-round of his last bout back in January.
He comes into this fight as a slight underdog with a price of +125, meaning you will earn $125 profit for every $100 you stake on him to win if he is successful.
Dmitry Bivol v Artur Beterbiev preview
This is the classic battle between technique and raw power, and fans will get to see it on show between two of the very best of their generation.
Bivol can't lose his technicality, no matter how hard Beterbiev pushes him. He rarely gets hit with clean shots because his defense is so solid and clean, but on the rare occasions where he has been clipped, he's taken it with ease and never been hurt. He showed that against Canelo in particular, but there is no doubt that Beterbiev hits harder and is most definitely a more dangerous opponent because of his natural size.
Before his last fight, Bivol recorded nine consecutive decision victories. Against the caliber of opponent he has been facing it's easier for him to avoid risk and use his advantages, but against someone as good as Beterbiev there is no guarantee he can maintain the range and cope with the pressure for a whole 12 rounds. This will surely be the most difficult fight of his career.
Even at 39, the underdog Beterbiev is considered one of the best finishers in the sport. The Russian-Canadian must take some risks to deal with the jab of Bivol, but he knows it will only take one punch to completely take the momentum and swing things in his favor.
Beterbiev must be patient with his approach but also earn the respect of Bivol early on with combinations and blitzes of punches to not allow his opponent into a rhythm. With great set-ups and strong footwork, he uses short punches in tight, which are hard to defend and often wear opponents down as the fight goes on. He has every chance of victory here.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Boxing picks: Bivol to get the win
It's never easy to pick these fights between undefeated legends, but with the odds so close it seems sensible to go with the favorite.
Beterbiev's power is most certainly a game-changing attribute, but the defensive accumen of Bivol has seen him stop the likes of Canelo in his tracks before and he's not exactly a slouch when it comes to stopping fights either.
His willingness to keep things tight and not take risks could ultimately be in his favor because his technique should see him win with his jab, and if Beterbiev gets too aggressive that will open up chances for him to counter and land his own knockout.
It will be close, but go with Bivol to get the win on the scorecards in what will go down as a fantastic advert for the sport.
