I really like both @Toney F*** U . Beterbiev has to make his mark NOW. He keeps getting delayed which has been the definition of his pro career. It would be a great fight between the two. Bivol is the TRUTH. Most underrate him unfairly because they don't like his style.
It sucks, Bivol’s a great boxer. I think he’s the top dog in the division now that beterbiev is injured and up there in age
AB has DESTROYED/toyed with every fighter he has fought - who besides his first 4 fights - were against champions/former world champions/contenders/prospects/any quality fighter he could get to step in the ring with him. In his 5th fight he tricked out out Tavoris Cloud like a street corner hooker - at the time very highly ranked with only 2 losses, 1 to BHop and the other an RTD loss to Adonis Stevenson who was one of the most explosive and murderous punching LHW's in the last 40-50 years - in 2 rounds. That same Stevenson needed 7 rounds of shooting missiles off his head to get a RTD after 7. He got dropped by a legitimately nuclear bombing LHW in Callum Johnson, a shot that would have KO'd most HW's w/ good chins face-first into the canvas. AB recovered in an amount of seconds you can count on one hand. I mean he was hit flush, perfectly timed, and didn't even see it. And who out-boxed him, hot-rod? That guy, when active, was almost assuredly the most awkward fighter to face in boxing at the time. and again, it doesn't matter, ALMOST doesn't count, he got stopped by the ref and lost. What did Qawi have, 11 losses, in boxing's golden age for steroids and PED's, which he was assuredly on as much if not more than pretty much anyone? AB defected LATE into his career, like 32 years old or later. He's a far more murderous puncher of the two, and has had to fight inactivity due to his promoter and everyone else being so scared of him after they saw what he did to a # of quality operators that he is now 35 or older and finally making a name for himself as a murderous, savage, dominant and undefeated champion - well past his prime. I'm not saying AB beats Qawi, but anyone saying Qawi waltzes in there - under today's PED testing standards - and works him and makes him look like he doesn't belong in the same ring.............. THAT person is a total idiot or having a serious bout of ignorance at that moment.
Beterbiev took one flush left hand from Callum, got sat on his arse and when he got up he ran for five minutes. Beterbiev may have broke Gvozdyk down in rounds 9 & 10, but through eight he was getting hit with almost everything Olek threw and was clearly being out-boxed. Considering those are the only two ranked fighters he's fought, it's not a good look. Certainly not one to get you favoured over Dwight Qawi.
Haven't seen enough of Beterbiev to be able to call this one. Need to see more. Qawi was one tough fighter.
I've watched every Beterbiev fight many times. The thing people don't seem to realize about Beterbiev is he has an extra gear he's only shown a few times in his career, it explains how he always seems to be fresh, regarldess how long the fight lasts. To see that extra gear, watch the 12th round in Koeling fight, the 4th round in the Campillo fight or the entire Cloud one. The crack in his punches is scary in those fights/sequences, I just can't see any fighter at 175 surviving that.
I favor a number of light heavyweights to do a number on him. He looks good now. In an empty division but he wouldn't be to top guy in some of the past era's. Too one dimensional for me. He hasn't been challenged. Joe Smith Jr. would be a good win.