HTF Did Dmitry Bivol Survive This Nuke From Joe Smith Jr.???

Bivol is tough, you can give him that.

 

Good chin.
For me he's the only guy that has a decent chance against Beterbiev, for being able to outbox him and make it the full 12.

 

Landed right on the ear too. That's a very good "cheen". A lesser guy would've went down. Hell, a moderate chin would've went down. This is one reason why I go back and forth and flip flop between who wins between him and Beterviev.

 

Wait, they fought? My last memory of Biv is honestly against Pascal.

I'm either suffering from severe cognitive impairment or my passion for the sport is fast eroding... or I guess both. This isn't the first time I've forgotten big fights that I've probably watched or done RBR for.

 

Joe launched that bomb from a mile away

Beterbiev does not load up like that. His are all short thudding punches and much of his work involves mauling and inside work. Its hard to position yourself in a defensive position when you are being mauled and being punched by a savage puncher.

That's why Beterbiev is a tough match for anyone.

 

It's called "The Bivol effect".

 

Smith would have put Bivol away if the bell hadn't rang. Bivol was dazed and wouldn't have taken another blow like that to the head which Smith would certainly have landed.

That bell was very lucky for Bivol and very unlucky for Smith

 

He was turning away, it didnt land flush

 

Wouldn't worry about it. Wasn't too much hype about the fight when it happened although I always thought it was going to be interesting. It turned out to be very one sided apart from that moment.

 

You're right that once inside Beterbiev would maul Bivol. But Bivol is almost entirely an outside fighter and can pick Beterbiev off from the outside. Bivol has the best distance control and high guard bar none at the moment. He just eliminates his opponents offence without even moving his head or upper body. It's all blocking, parrying and half steps in or out so he can punish overreaching. This is a perfect matchup of diametrically opposing styles with the best inside and outside fighter in a division, if not all of boxing.

 

hes very lucky that was right at the end of the round

 

Eh, yeah, maybe lucky in that respect, but when you otherwise pitch a shutout and prove yourself the superior competitor...

If you're going to call Bivol or Maravilla lucky in their Smith or JCC Jr. contests, then you have to also call Briggs lucky to have caught Liakhovich at the last possible moment in a situation that almost exactly paralleled both except for the cookie happening to crumble the other way on that night.