[Boxing] Beterbiev vs. Bivol - Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship

[Kemarit]

ESPN says he will be out until at least September.
https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/40078163/artur-beterbiev-injured-title-bout-vs-dmitry-bivol-postponed

4 months of waiting, that's a long wait. Though we can't blame him for that but its an opportunity for the fans to see a big fight and now it's gone. Well, I just hope he'll heal at that estimated time so the fight could still happen as I'm sure Bivol is not happy for waiting longer since time is very important at the level of his career which he is on his prime.

Yes, 4 months is too long and we might see Bivol fighting other boxers in that span and then winning and defending his belt. So we will see, but I think they can find replacement for Beterbiev as there are a lot of SMW-LH boxers who may want to crack at Bivol.

I do love the Benavidez vs Bivol fight scenario, there are videos of David going into Las Vegas and going to watch the fight of Munguia vs Canelo and maybe after the fight and if Canelo wins, he might go up in the boxing ring and confront Canelo. So there's a lot of drama in that fight and for sure fans are going to wait for it.

That depends on the agreement of Bivol and Beterbiev, if Bivol would approve the postponement of fight due to the valid reason, then he will wait for that span of time and if no fight will be realize after that, then that's the time he will find a new opponent so he could be active. Hopefully someone that is as good as Beterbiev so people will be interesting in watching the fight.

if Benavidez is willing, I think it's still a good one as he is still undefeated, great match up but I might take Bivol if that will happen.

I think Bivol can choose to fight and don't need to wait for Beterbiev to heal as it is months and you don't want to be inactive that long. Bivol can get a busy fight, and fight lesser opponents, or just look for huge fight to defend his belt.

Bivol is the slight favorite in this fight already, and the more time it take for this fight to happen the better for him as Beterbiev might aged over night.

And probably HE Turki Alalshikh can broker another fight for Bivol and save this 5 on 5 event.

[pawel7777]

Unfortunately, Artur Beterbiev is once again injured and this fight will be postponed. The rest of the card, which is the 5 v 5 Matchroom vs Queensberry event will still go on. It is still a good card headlined by Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang but its still a disappointment that one of the most anticipated fights in recent history will not be happening.

Beterbiev is no stranger to injury. Many of his fights have been postponed due to injury. This is why he has so few fights for a 39 year old.

I've just read the news. What a bummer.
But yeah, the Wilder Vs Zhang is a good fight on its own to be elevated to the main event. To be fair, it seemed a bit odd that it was on the undercard.

I read that the injury will put Artur off till at least September, which is a long time. He needs time for the knee to heal properly, rehabilitation, and another preparation camp.
This could mean we might not see the fight until very late in the year.

If the fight is indeed "postponed", as the media report (and not just cancelled), then I don't think Bivol would be allowed to fight anyone else before then. The whole purpose of it is for the winner to "take it all", so if Bivol was to fight someone else and lost, he wouldn't be putting anything on the line.

[bbc.reporter]

Unfortunately, Artur Beterbiev is once again injured and this fight will be postponed. The rest of the card, which is the 5 v 5 Matchroom vs Queensberry event will still go on. It is still a good card headlined by Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang but its still a disappointment that one of the most anticipated fights in recent history will not be happening.

Beterbiev is no stranger to injury. Many of his fights have been postponed due to injury. This is why he has so few fights for a 39 year old.

I also just heard of this news. The skeptical me sometimes is thinking that these injuries are tactics to make their training longer because they are not ready for the fight. I have always speculated this on Tyson Fury.

On this new main event with Wilder and Zhang, I certainly disagree that this is good. The both of them have lost in their last fights and they will be the main event? That will be very headshaking. Can the promoters get a replacement for Beterbiev.

[pinggoki]

I also just heard of this news. The skeptical me sometimes is thinking that these injuries are tactics to make their training longer because they are not ready for the fight. I have always speculated this on Tyson Fury.

On this new main event with Wilder and Zhang, I certainly disagree that this is good. The both of them have lost in their last fights and they will be the main event? That will be very headshaking. Can the promoters get a replacement for Beterbiev.

That can be true, they do this to prolong the matches, they might not say it but that's definitely their intention. I don't the reason for the delay though, is it for stalling tactics to mess with the psyche of the opponents like what Musashi Miyamoto did with Sasaki Kojiro because that's how I see the reason for why they delay these fights. Haven't heard a lot about these two fighters though, Bivol's the tough looking one though, I feel like he could take the punishment and deliver the right blow.

[inthelongrun]

Unfortunately, Artur Beterbiev is once again injured and this fight will be postponed. The rest of the card, which is the 5 v 5 Matchroom vs Queensberry event will still go on. It is still a good card headlined by Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang but its still a disappointment that one of the most anticipated fights in recent history will not be happening.

Beterbiev is no stranger to injury. Many of his fights have been postponed due to injury. This is why he has so few fights for a 39 year old.

I've just read the news. What a bummer.
But yeah, the Wilder Vs Zhang is a good fight on its own to be elevated to the main event. To be fair, it seemed a bit odd that it was on the undercard.

I read that the injury will put Artur off till at least September, which is a long time. He needs time for the knee to heal properly, rehabilitation, and another preparation camp.
This could mean we might not see the fight until very late in the year.

If the fight is indeed "postponed", as the media report (and not just cancelled), then I don't think Bivol would be allowed to fight anyone else before then. The whole purpose of it is for the winner to "take it all", so if Bivol was to fight someone else and lost, he wouldn't be putting anything on the line.

Good thing the card is still going on even without the original main event. It's just sad that sometimes injuries happen. The more this fight is delayed the more chances of Beterbiev declining because of his age. It is also annoying for the part of Bivol. I wonder if he gets another fight or just wait for Beterbiev's recovery. The money is also too big for Bivol to risk fighting another name.

Looking at the odds, Zhang is the slight favorite over Wilder. Both carries a huge punch but Zhang is not fast so maybe Wilder has a good chance here. Except that Zhang has a granite chin while Wilder isn't. I think Zhang has never tasted the canvass in his pro career.

[Kemarit]

Unfortunately, Artur Beterbiev is once again injured and this fight will be postponed. The rest of the card, which is the 5 v 5 Matchroom vs Queensberry event will still go on. It is still a good card headlined by Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang but its still a disappointment that one of the most anticipated fights in recent history will not be happening.

Beterbiev is no stranger to injury. Many of his fights have been postponed due to injury. This is why he has so few fights for a 39 year old.

I've just read the news. What a bummer.
But yeah, the Wilder Vs Zhang is a good fight on its own to be elevated to the main event. To be fair, it seemed a bit odd that it was on the undercard.

I read that the injury will put Artur off till at least September, which is a long time. He needs time for the knee to heal properly, rehabilitation, and another preparation camp.
This could mean we might not see the fight until very late in the year.

If the fight is indeed "postponed", as the media report (and not just cancelled), then I don't think Bivol would be allowed to fight anyone else before then. The whole purpose of it is for the winner to "take it all", so if Bivol was to fight someone else and lost, he wouldn't be putting anything on the line.

Good thing the card is still going on even without the original main event. It's just sad that sometimes injuries happen. The more this fight is delayed the more chances of Beterbiev declining because of his age. It is also annoying for the part of Bivol. I wonder if he gets another fight or just wait for Beterbiev's recovery. The money is also too big for Bivol to risk fighting another name.

And he is going to be prone to injuries as he age, so it's not going to help Beterbiev with this injuries and then he has to recover for months without any activity as the affected part is his knees and he could be back but not the same anymore.

Looking at the odds, Zhang is the slight favorite over Wilder. Both carries a huge punch but Zhang is not fast so maybe Wilder has a good chance here. Except that Zhang has a granite chin while Wilder isn't. I think Zhang has never tasted the canvass in his pro career.

And I also see the power of the Bronze Bomber also declining, and he needs to be in his best shape because Zhang defense is underrated and it's hard to clip him. And as you have said, solid chin and also has power. And so it's more on Wilder's shoulder to win here so that he can still have money fight with AJ. Otherwise a lost will strike his name out from the Saudis.

[bbc.reporter]

I also just heard of this news. The skeptical me sometimes is thinking that these injuries are tactics to make their training longer because they are not ready for the fight. I have always speculated this on Tyson Fury.

On this new main event with Wilder and Zhang, I certainly disagree that this is good. The both of them have lost in their last fights and they will be the main event? That will be very headshaking. Can the promoters get a replacement for Beterbiev.

That can be true, they do this to prolong the matches, they might not say it but that's definitely their intention. I don't the reason for the delay though, is it for stalling tactics to mess with the psyche of the opponents like what Musashi Miyamoto did with Sasaki Kojiro because that's how I see the reason for why they delay these fights. Haven't heard a lot about these two fighters though, Bivol's the tough looking one though, I feel like he could take the punishment and deliver the right blow.

Heheheh I can see that you also like to read. This is from the Book of 5 Rings, correct? Was the battle against Sasaki Kojiro was where Musashi arrived on a small boat going to the shore, carrying a long wooden baseball bat with sharp edge? In any case, I reckon Bivol should fight the next fighter available that might bring much hype. I reckon that this is David Benavidez. Everyone might like to witness him after Canelo's attempt hehe.

News update on Bivol.



WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol will remain on the June 1st card to fight a replacement opponent after his fight against IBF/WBC/WBO 175-lb champ Artur Beterbiev suffered a ruptured meniscus knee injury and will be out of action while recovering.

ESPN reports that Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) will stay on the June 1st card at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fans on social media would like to see David Morrell face Bivol as the replacement. Morrell is currently scheduled to fight Radivoje Kalajdzic for the vacant WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight title on August 3rd on His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s card at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

Source https://www.boxingnews24.com/2024/05/bivol-to-fight-replacement-opponent-on-june-1st-after-beterbiev-injury/

[coin-investor]

WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol will remain on the June 1st card to fight a replacement opponent after his fight against IBF/WBC/WBO 175-lb champ Artur Beterbiev suffered a ruptured meniscus knee injury and will be out of action while recovering.

ESPN reports that Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) will stay on the June 1st card at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fans on social media would like to see David Morrell face Bivol as the replacement. Morrell is currently scheduled to fight Radivoje Kalajdzic for the vacant WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight title on August 3rd on His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s card at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

Source https://www.boxingnews24.com/2024/05/bivol-to-fight-replacement-opponent-on-june-1st-after-beterbiev-injury/

This just came out 18 hours ago, as I am posting this Bivol will face a guy named Malik Zinad he is undefeated in 21 fights with16 knockouts but only ranked number 9 in the standing, he gained that number of knockouts because he's fighting patsies, I don't think Bivol will have a hard time disposing of this guy but at least he can keep himself busy while waiting for Beterbiev to recuperate.

The postponement is unfortunate, it deprived the boxing community of the excitement in the Light Heavyweight division, but because this is already a done deal, they will hopefully face this year.

By the way, this is Malik Zinad fight highlights, as you can see many of his fights are held in small venues and if the fight with Bivol push through that will be his first fight in big venues

Malik Zinad (21-0) Highlights & Knockouts

[hilariousetc]

Unfortunately, Artur Beterbiev is once again injured and this fight will be postponed. The rest of the card, which is the 5 v 5 Matchroom vs Queensberry event will still go on. It is still a good card headlined by Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang but its still a disappointment that one of the most anticipated fights in recent history will not be happening.

Beterbiev is no stranger to injury. Many of his fights have been postponed due to injury. This is why he has so few fights for a 39 year old.

I've just read the news. What a bummer.
But yeah, the Wilder Vs Zhang is a good fight on its own to be elevated to the main event. To be fair, it seemed a bit odd that it was on the undercard.

I read that the injury will put Artur off till at least September, which is a long time. He needs time for the knee to heal properly, rehabilitation, and another preparation camp.
This could mean we might not see the fight until very late in the year.

If the fight is indeed "postponed", as the media report (and not just cancelled), then I don't think Bivol would be allowed to fight anyone else before then. The whole purpose of it is for the winner to "take it all", so if Bivol was to fight someone else and lost, he wouldn't be putting anything on the line.

It's still a great card even without that fight and yeah Wilder v Zhang is a headliner in its own right. To be honest, I think that's the fight I'm looking forward to the most.

Unfortunately, Artur Beterbiev is once again injured and this fight will be postponed. The rest of the card, which is the 5 v 5 Matchroom vs Queensberry event will still go on. It is still a good card headlined by Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang but its still a disappointment that one of the most anticipated fights in recent history will not be happening.

Beterbiev is no stranger to injury. Many of his fights have been postponed due to injury. This is why he has so few fights for a 39 year old.

I also just heard of this news. The skeptical me sometimes is thinking that these injuries are tactics to make their training longer because they are not ready for the fight. I have always speculated this on Tyson Fury.

Artur Beterbiev has ruptured his meniscus and requires surgery. Doubt he's gonna go to that length to avoid a fight. Injuries do happen from time to time even though some fighters do use any excuse they can to stall a fight I don't think this is one of them.

[pawel7777]

Artur Beterbiev has ruptured his meniscus and requires surgery. Doubt he's gonna go to that length to avoid a fight. Injuries do happen from time to time even though some fighters do use any excuse they can to stall a fight I don't think this is one of them.

That's a particularly annoying type of injury, as he would be immobilised for quite some time completely unable to do any sort of training routine or cardio.
It's nothing like Fury's injury when all he had to do was to avoid hard sparring.

This just came out 18 hours ago, as I am posting this Bivol will face a guy named Malik Zinad he is undefeated in 21 fights with16 knockouts but only ranked number 9 in the standing, he gained that number of knockouts because he's fighting patsies, I don't think Bivol will have a hard time disposing of this guy but at least he can keep himself busy while waiting for Beterbiev to recuperate.

Not a bad replacement given less than a month's notice to be honest. Of course, Zinad is nothing close to Beterbiev, but he's willing to put his "zero" on the line and fight the biggest name in the light heavyweight. Marketing-wise, even if he loses but manages to look somewhat decent against Bivol, it should be a nice boost to his career.
I'm glad they made this fight, as making Bivol wait till at least late Nov/early Dec didn't sound like a good idea.

[coin-investor]

Artur Beterbiev has ruptured his meniscus and requires surgery. Doubt he's gonna go to that length to avoid a fight. Injuries do happen from time to time even though some fighters do use any excuse they can to stall a fight I don't think this is one of them.

That's a particularly annoying type of injury, as he would be immobilised for quite some time completely unable to do any sort of training routine or cardio.
It's nothing like Fury's injury when all he had to do was to avoid hard sparring.

This just came out 18 hours ago, as I am posting this Bivol will face a guy named Malik Zinad he is undefeated in 21 fights with16 knockouts but only ranked number 9 in the standing, he gained that number of knockouts because he's fighting patsies, I don't think Bivol will have a hard time disposing of this guy but at least he can keep himself busy while waiting for Beterbiev to recuperate.

Not a bad replacement given less than a month's notice to be honest. Of course, Zinad is nothing close to Beterbiev, but he's willing to put his "zero" on the line and fight the biggest name in the light heavyweight. Marketing-wise, even if he loses but manages to look somewhat decent against Bivol, it should be a nice boost to his career.
I'm glad they made this fight, as making Bivol wait till at least late Nov/early Dec didn't sound like a good idea.

He got that injury through his training, Beterbiev is one of the boxers who takes training seriously some of this training is lower body conditioning and involves lifting weights and a lot of foot and leg movements he concentrates a lot on leg conditioning because this is where his power comes whenever he throws his combinations, which is why he is prone to a leg injury.

Beterbiev may have forced himself too much because he is fighting an undefeated champion who likes him is fighting for a legacy; because of this injury and Bivol fight, Bivol could become the favourite because of the continuity of his condition, whereas Beterbiev needs to recuperate and get back to training, there were instances where fighters loses his power and slow down his movement because of surgery I hope it will not be the case for Beterbiev.

Artur Beterbiev Training

[pawel7777]

(...) Bivol could become the favourite because of the continuity of his condition, whereas Beterbiev needs to recuperate and get back to training, there were instances where fighters loses his power and slow down his movement because of surgery I hope it will not be the case for Beterbiev.

If Bivol defeats Zinad with ease, and if Beterbiev will fight Bivol straight after recovering, then I have no doubt that oddsmakers will no longer see it as a 50/50 match, but will favour Bivol with odds probably around x1.50.
Injuries like that can be a major setback, especially for a fighter that's almost 40. The recovery time increases a lot at that age and getting back to 100% health is not always possible.
But I wish him all the best.

[Kemarit]

(...) Bivol could become the favourite because of the continuity of his condition, whereas Beterbiev needs to recuperate and get back to training, there were instances where fighters loses his power and slow down his movement because of surgery I hope it will not be the case for Beterbiev.

If Bivol defeats Zinad with ease, and if Beterbiev will fight Bivol straight after recovering, then I have no doubt that oddsmakers will no longer see it as a 50/50 match, but will favour Bivol with odds probably around x1.50.
Injuries like that can be a major setback, especially for a fighter that's almost 40. The recovery time increases a lot at that age and getting back to 100% health is not always possible.
But I wish him all the best.

Right, right now it looks 50/50 for the oddmakers, and if Bivol looks good and sharp against Zinad and maybe win by a knockout or impressive domination, then he will be the favorite again, but this time no longer break even.

And if we look at it, will be months before Beterbiev can recover and most likely he is no longer training by this day and resting. And so after the recovery, that will be the time that he can go back to the gym again and more time to be back 100% and most likely he will be aged again at 40 years old.

[FinneysTrueVision]

After Bivol’s easy tune up fight on the undercard of Wilder vs. Zhang, it was announced by Turki Alalshikh that the fight between Bivol and Beterbiev has been rescheduled for October 12. Bivol’s defense didn’t look as sharp as it normally does against Zinad, but that might be because he was really trying to win by knockout, which he did for the first time in 6 years. I expect him to have a much different style against Beterbiev. He cannot afford to make mistakes and get caught with the same punches Zinad was landing on him.

[inthelongrun]

Looking at the odds, Zhang is the slight favorite over Wilder. Both carries a huge punch but Zhang is not fast so maybe Wilder has a good chance here. Except that Zhang has a granite chin while Wilder isn't. I think Zhang has never tasted the canvass in his pro career.

And I also see the power of the Bronze Bomber also declining, and he needs to be in his best shape because Zhang defense is underrated and it's hard to clip him. And as you have said, solid chin and also has power. And so it's more on Wilder's shoulder to win here so that he can still have money fight with AJ. Otherwise a lost will strike his name out from the Saudis.

It's amazing how the older Zhang disrespected Wilder's power by marching forward and letting the American know that he is the hunter in the fight. So as usual, once Wilder is on the backfoot, there is a slim chance of him winning unless he is lucky to lands his wild punches but given his limited skills, it'll be harder.

Wilder is not getting younger so pretty sure his strength and speed are declining and it affects the power of his punches. And now the he was stopped and fully dominated by Zhang, I am not sure if there is still interest of an AJ fight unless the British losses again in his next fight.

[Distinctin]

Looking at the odds, Zhang is the slight favorite over Wilder. Both carries a huge punch but Zhang is not fast so maybe Wilder has a good chance here. Except that Zhang has a granite chin while Wilder isn't. I think Zhang has never tasted the canvass in his pro career.

And I also see the power of the Bronze Bomber also declining, and he needs to be in his best shape because Zhang defense is underrated and it's hard to clip him. And as you have said, solid chin and also has power. And so it's more on Wilder's shoulder to win here so that he can still have money fight with AJ. Otherwise a lost will strike his name out from the Saudis.

It's amazing how the older Zhang disrespected Wilder's power by marching forward and letting the American know that he is the hunter in the fight. So as usual, once Wilder is on the backfoot, there is a slim chance of him winning unless he is lucky to lands his wild punches but given his limited skills, it'll be harder.

Wilder is not getting younger so pretty sure his strength and speed are declining and it affects the power of his punches. And now the he was stopped and fully dominated by Zhang, I am not sure if there is still interest of an AJ fight unless the British losses again in his next fight.

Do you mean AJ vs Zhang? Because if it's vs Wilder, then I think it's not necessary anymore, and he might not be able to stand up after getting knocked down. Wilder is already 38 years old, so he is getting old, but Zhang is even older at 41. I guess it's time for him to hang up his gloves and call it a career, though it doesn't end well after starting with a great winning streak, all by KO.

Even AJ gave retirement advice to Wilder.

Anthony Joshua gives retirement advice to Deontay Wilder after Zhilei Zhang defeat

Anthony Joshua has urged Deontay Wilder not to rush into retirement from boxing after his TKO defeat to Zhilei Zhang on Saturday evening.

[Dave1]

After Bivol’s easy tune up fight on the undercard of Wilder vs. Zhang, it was announced by Turki Alalshikh that the fight between Bivol and Beterbiev has been rescheduled for October 12. Bivol’s defense didn’t look as sharp as it normally does against Zinad, but that might be because he was really trying to win by knockout, which he did for the first time in 6 years. I expect him to have a much different style against Beterbiev. He cannot afford to make mistakes and get caught with the same punches Zinad was landing on him.

Yeah, maybe he really wanted to impressed the crowd by looking for a knockout win and not the usual hard and grind fight and it will go to the judges scorecard. Nevertheless, he has done his part on the bargin so that the Bivol vs Beterbiev fight can still happen and as announced, it will be October 12.

For the Zhang vs Wilder, - Deontay is done already, he might have just wanted to have one last fight before he retires. Unfortunately, he was knockout again by the power of Zhang and it seems that Zhang is the fresher of the two. Just sad to see how Wilder turns out, we might not see him and AJ fighting.

[coin-investor]

After Bivol’s easy tune up fight on the undercard of Wilder vs. Zhang, it was announced by Turki Alalshikh that the fight between Bivol and Beterbiev has been rescheduled for October 12. Bivol’s defense didn’t look as sharp as it normally does against Zinad, but that might be because he was really trying to win by knockout, which he did for the first time in 6 years. I expect him to have a much different style against Beterbiev. He cannot afford to make mistakes and get caught with the same punches Zinad was landing on him.

Yeah, maybe he really wanted to impressed the crowd by looking for a knockout win and not the usual hard and grind fight and it will go to the judges scorecard. Nevertheless, he has done his part on the bargin so that the Bivol vs Beterbiev fight can still happen and as announced, it will be October 12.

Bivol before this fight last won via knockout 6 years ago, so he wants to look impressive by forcing a knockout even to the point that he gets caught by Zinad's punches, we all know you never look for a knockout you let it come and happen.

Bivol is well-conditioned going to the fight against Beterbiev because Beterbiev will have to get medical clearance before he can start training for the fight.

After what happened it is hard for me to judge who is the favorite to win the fight, A guy coming from an impressive win is more confident and well-conditioned than a fighter who just comes from injury and training will be hindered on his movement because you cannot be 100% right away, so we'll see, it's 4 months to go so many things are going to happen and hopefully there will be no more injuries.

[Dave1]

After Bivol’s easy tune up fight on the undercard of Wilder vs. Zhang, it was announced by Turki Alalshikh that the fight between Bivol and Beterbiev has been rescheduled for October 12. Bivol’s defense didn’t look as sharp as it normally does against Zinad, but that might be because he was really trying to win by knockout, which he did for the first time in 6 years. I expect him to have a much different style against Beterbiev. He cannot afford to make mistakes and get caught with the same punches Zinad was landing on him.

Yeah, maybe he really wanted to impressed the crowd by looking for a knockout win and not the usual hard and grind fight and it will go to the judges scorecard. Nevertheless, he has done his part on the bargin so that the Bivol vs Beterbiev fight can still happen and as announced, it will be October 12.

Bivol before this fight last won via knockout 6 years ago, so he wants to look impressive by forcing a knockout even to the point that he gets caught by Zinad's punches, we all know you never look for a knockout you let it come and happen.

Bivol is well-conditioned going to the fight against Beterbiev because Beterbiev will have to get medical clearance before he can start training for the fight.

Or it just shows that Zinad is not on his caliber and level and obviously, this fight is a get busy fight for Bivol while waiting for Beterbiev to recover.

After what happened it is hard for me to judge who is the favorite to win the fight, A guy coming from an impressive win is more confident and well-conditioned than a fighter who just comes from injury and training will be hindered on his movement because you cannot be 100% right away, so we'll see, it's 4 months to go so many things are going to happen and hopefully there will be no more injuries.

If I'm not mistaken, it was almost 50/50 odds for this because this is a close fight and that's why odd makers are also seeing. But we have to consider now that Beterbiev is coming from a injury and so with long layoff it might be Bivol that will be the favorite right now. But yes, 4 months, still plenty of time, because Beterbiev will heal fast and he doesn't need tune up fight and there will be no ring rust for him.

[inthelongrun]

After what happened it is hard for me to judge who is the favorite to win the fight, A guy coming from an impressive win is more confident and well-conditioned than a fighter who just comes from injury and training will be hindered on his movement because you cannot be 100% right away, so we'll see, it's 4 months to go so many things are going to happen and hopefully there will be no more injuries.

If I'm not mistaken, it was almost 50/50 odds for this because this is a close fight and that's why odd makers are also seeing. But we have to consider now that Beterbiev is coming from a injury and so with long layoff it might be Bivol that will be the favorite right now. But yes, 4 months, still plenty of time, because Beterbiev will heal fast and he doesn't need tune up fight and there will be no ring rust for him.

I am seeing Bivol as the clear close favorite this time. Prior to Beterbiev's injury the odds were close and they were putting either of these champions as slight favorites. The longer time this undisputed fight happens, the better for Bivol as he is the younger fighter. Beterbiev is 39 already.

I don't know what to say but I feel like Beterbiev was handled poorly, especially his prime years. This guy fought Usyk in the amateurs, put him down and hurt him yet he remained a 1 division champion. And at 39 trying to become undisputed. But how I wish he could've fought for the belts earlier and then just move up in weight than wait forever to become undisputed champion.