IBA: Bivol Rejects Beterbiev rubber match even though double money!

Just absolutely bizarre decision making here. Beterbiev is almost 42, hasn't fought for ages and cannot really fight 3 minutes of every round anymore (needs rounds off now). Bivol should be used to boxing him already given they've been in together twice. Then there's the fact this will likely give him the highest purse and viewership, especially if staged in Russia. Absolutely no reason to avoid this from a cost/benefit perspective unless Bivol is personally choosing to. No reason for Matchroom to be marinating this either as they are floundering domestically and need big international events to keep the momentum going. Plus this just generally lines up with how placid Bivol has been throughout most of his career.

Will be a very bad look if he avoids a Benavidez bout when it's easily open to book as well. Mind you a younger Bivol wanted no part of Beterbiev so I would be very surprised if a now older Bivol wanted anything to to with Benavidez.

But this news honestly just reflects what I find so frustrating about Bivol. He goes for the easiest, most convenient options in-ring with most of his bouts, and this seems to apply for his career as well. It seems to take a real external force (like Canelo or Turki) to get him to remotely try and go above and beyond. Just absolutely no innate motivation to aim beyond his comfort level. Exemplified in his last bout, an absolutely unnecessary dire shutout against a total no hoper, not even that good for sharpening up imo given DBs level. He could've easily stopped the bloke in 3 or 4 rounds.

He's a tidy technical boxer, very one note but very refined, one of the best around at the moment, but I personally feel he was very lucky to avoid Kovalev and prime AB. His career won't be overly memorable aside from Canelo and AB. The rest of his bouts aside from them aren't really rewatchable and I say that as a hardcore purist.

 

Not surprising, Bivol has always hid from any sort of challenge. Bivol defended his WBA title against overmatched opponents for years while Beterbiev unified the division, WBC/IBF/WBO/Ring piece by piece.

Beterbiev vs Bivol didn’t happen until Beterbiev was an old man touching 40 because of Bivol

Benavidez vs Bivol didn’t happen and likely never will because of Bivol

His entire legacy in boxing and popularity among casuals is built off a win over a shot blown up middleweight Canelo.

 

The "champ" isn't doing much of anything.

 

I just don't see the argument that, in the eyes of many, he has fought Beterbiev twice and beaten him twice, but now he is ducking an even older version of him?

 

Per that article he ducked the trilogy despite stupid money being offered. You might be right though. He has bigger fish to fry in Eifert and C.Smith as opposed to finishing a trilogy of fights that have been very competitive and exciting.

 

I think Matchroom are pulling the strings to be honest, I think there's a lot happening behind the scenes, a lot of politics and BS. Bivol has beaten Canelo, Beterbiev (at least once) and beat Ramirez when he was undefeated. I won't argue that he has a stacked resume, it is thin, but I don't think he is ducking anyone.

 

Bivol lost me years ago. He plays with his food every fight other than Canelo and Beterbeast. Go Callum Smith!

 

Close or a robbery?

If it's close then it's not a robbery. There was no rematch clause after the first fight, guess I'm glad Beterbiev gave us, as fans, an amazing rematch when he didn't have to.

 

He refused to fight canelo a second time, too. Canelo arrogantly asked for 'the same conditions' though. Still probably would have been the most lucrative fight and with little risk for him as he would have beaten canelo a second time. On the other hand maybe the offer implied canelo wasn't really going to do it anyway and bivols team saved themselves the time and denied it. Or he isn't as much about the money, who knows.

But as @TNSNO1878 said, from a risk reward standpoint his team's decision to 'duck' beterbiev makes zero sense. Either bivol is still injured or unsure of his operation or they have other reasons than the fight itself to go another way. No idea how zuffa vs belts plays a role here or what else it is, but it is a thin argument for ducking that someone used to avoid fights with someone else. It's like arguing canelo avoided a fourth fight with ggg when he was old or bivol avoided the second canelo fight. He is the favorite at this point.

Btw the benavidez situation seem unclear to me, too. Every fan says benqvidez wants that fight, but from a risk reward perspective it's not the best fight for benavidez. Bivol is smaller so the win would be less impressive to most who don't know how good bivol is and there is immense risk from the p4p #3-4. All that while benavidez has be come a star after going to cruiserweight and winning a belt (though not the real one from opetaia). benavidez is at a Point where he will make lots of money against anyone. They could make him the anthony joshua of light heavy

 

Fought Beterbiev twice hes hardly a ducker.. at this point id say Beterbiev is not far off GGG in the 3rd Canelo fight.. old , inactive & it it would be one sided now.. Chapters closed.

 

If only Turki had made them fight a few years earlier.

It's a tragedy that Beterbiev didn't get more super fights when he was closer to his prime.

Absolute monster of a man.

 

Kovalev would have KO'd Bivol.
Faster and rangier than old Beteroids.

 

Its a lose-lose for Bivol.

If he beats Beterbiev, for the third time in my opinion, he beat an old man and aged him out.

If he loses, he lost to an old man and was never that good.

 

Kovalev couldn't hold a prime Beterbievs jock strap.