Kovalev: Bivol will win the rematch and force a trilogy

Sergey Kovalev picks former WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol to defeat undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev in their rematch in eight weeks (56 days) on February 22 in Riyadh.

Former 175-pound unified champion Kovalev saw Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) win his previous fight against Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) seven rounds to five and sees him victorious for the second time. A laughing Kovalev says that once Bivol wins, a trilogy match will be arranged.

Beterbiev’s new plan?

Beterbiev defeated Bivol with pressure, winning a 12-round majority decision on 12 October. The scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114. Bivol fought hard early on, using his boxing skills to win rounds against the unusually cautious-looking Beterbiev.

However, the fight changed completely when Beterbiev started to press in the sixth, and it was no longer competitive. Bivol looked like a mouse being chased around the ring by a cat, and it was obvious that he didn’t want to mix it up. After the fight, Beterbiev hinted that he would fight completely differently in the rematch.

It probably means he’ll attack right away instead of waiting until the midpoint like he did last time. Beterbiev knows now that Bivol can’t handle the pressure, he disengages mentally and doesn’t have the power, chin or guts to stand in the trenches. Bivol is not made for war. He’s more of the type to stay in the rear, working in support of the troops.

“In the last fight, I thought Bivol got seven rounds to five. Yeah, I think so. 7-5, he won, and he’ll be more confident in the rematch and get the win. He’ll get a win and then there will be a third fight,” said Sergey Kovalev Fight Hub TVgiving his thoughts on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol rematch on February 22.

Bivol’s possible revenge tactics

It will be very difficult for Bivol to win the rematch with his fighting style because he is not equipped to fight Beterbiev. What Bivol will likely do in the rematch to win an ugly decision are these tactics:

– Aiming when Beterbiev approaches
– Hit and run
– More movement
– Late nufaces

Fans on social media overwhelmingly believe Bivol deserved to win the first fight, and believe he will defeat Beterbiev in the rematch. Many of them believe it will be an easy win for Bivol, who they believe is a much better fighter than Beterbiev. There could be a lot of pro-Bivol fans upset if he doesn’t get the job done in the rematch because he can’t fight any better than he did last time.

The only thing that can improve in the second fight is Beterbiev applying pressure from the start instead of waiting until the sixth round like last time.