Benavidez predicts Bivol will defeat Beterbiev in the rematch

David Benavidez insists former WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol deserved to win his fight against IBF/WBC/WBO champion Artur Beterbiev on October 12 last year in Riyadh.

The superiority of Bivol

WBC 175-pound “interim” champion Benavidez says Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) threw the best combinations and controlled most of the fight. He believes that if the 34-year-old Bivol fights the same way he did last time, he will defeat undisputed champion Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) in their rematch on February 22 in Riyadh. Their fight can be seen live on DAZN PPV.

Some believe the reason Benavidez is picking Bivol to win the rematch is because he wants him to be victorious because he may not have the confidence to take down Beterbiev, who is a big puncher. Benavidez’s “Mexican Monster” fighting style involves him putting every ounce of energy into every punch he throws to get the most power out of his shots.

David is not a big puncher, so he charges with everything he throws to improve his power. This style won’t work against Beterbiev because he throws short punches with great power and, unlike Benavidez, he doesn’t have to finish to generate his power.

If Benavidez fights Artur, it will be a miserable night. He couldn’t load his shots because he was tagged. Also, David’s combination of quick jabs would leave him open to being countered by Beterbiev and knocked out.

Although Benavidez lands good shots due to his thick skull, which has a slightly acromegaly-like appearance, his ability to land shots to the body is not as good. You can get hurt there. In the 12th round, Oleksandr Gvozdyk landed a hard right hand to the midsection of Benavidez, completely shutting down his offense for the rest of the round.

He didn’t throw a punch after being hurt to the body by Gvozdyk in the final round. Beterbiev is a better body puncher than Gvozdyk, and he will have seen that weakness and focused on that area instead of wasting punches on Benavidez’s thick skull.

Prediction of the rematch

“I thought Bivol won that fight. It was a close fight. It couldn’t have gone either way,” David Benavidez told the mediatalking about the fight Artur Beterbiev against Dmitry Bivol on October 12 last year in Riyadh.

“I think Bivol won most of the rounds. He was in control most of the rounds and his punching combination was better,” Benavidez continued. “I think he (Bivol) does (win the rematch on Feb. 22).

“Both fighters are high caliber fighters. So they can make adjustments. I don’t know if it will be the same fight or not, but if it is the same fight, I think Bivol wins.”