Tremendous middleweight contender Lonnie Thompson predicts a quick knockout victory for unified mild heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev over WBA champ Dmitry Bivol on October twelfth of their undisputed championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Lonnie has sparred with IBF, WBC, and WBO champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) earlier than and is aware of firsthand how highly effective and proficient he’s. He feels that Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) is just too small and weak to carry off Beterbiev of their headliner, stay on DAZN PPV on the Kingdom Enviornment.
Bivol Overrated, Beterbiev Underrated
The followers and oddsmakers who’ve Bivol as their favourite aren’t conversant in Beterbiev. They’re overrating Dmitry from his win over Canelo Alvarez two years in the past, making extra of that struggle than they need to.
Thompson was impressed by Beterbiev’s latest seventh-round knockout win over former WBA tremendous middleweight champion Callum Smith on January thirteenth in Quebec Metropolis. Beterbiev fully overwhelmed the large puncher Smith, who Thompson feels has the dimensions to compete at cruiserweight.
“I’m excited for the struggle. It’s going to be on. You already know who I’m going to be rocking with Beterbiev. I don’t suppose it’s going to go previous seven or eight,” stated Lonnie Thompson to Professional Boxing Followers, selecting Artur Beterbiev to defeat Dmitry Bivol on October twelfth of their mild heavyweight undisputed championship struggle in Riyadh.
Lonnie feels that Bivol doesn’t transfer practically properly sufficient to maintain Beterbiev from chopping off the ring on him and trapping him into exchanges, which he’s not designed for in opposition to any such puncher. Lyndon Arthur damage Bivol throughout their struggle final December and fought cautiously within the second half of the struggle.
Bivol Can’t Escape Stress
“I could possibly be flawed, however I doubt it. Any person who’s like Callum Smith, who’s extraordinarily massive, who may actually presumably struggle at cruiserweight,” stated Lonnie. “Artur received him out of there in seven [last January]. Bivol may actually struggle at tremendous middleweight.”
Bivol would have been higher off combating at tremendous middleweight all these years as a result of he’d have made extra money combating Canelo, David Benavidez, and different high fighters at 168. If Bivol loses this struggle badly to Beterbiev, as Lonnie predicts, shifting to 168 could be an possibility for him to discover to avoid wasting his profession.
“In my view, he [Bivol] doesn’t transfer that properly for extra rounds than that, and Artur cuts off the ring extraordinarily properly, and simply the beating on them on the shoulders and the hips, and I believe Bivol goes to get stopped comparatively quick,” stated Lonnie.
Beterbiev fights exceptionally properly on the within and does properly in opposition to fighters who throw mixtures, which is Bivol’s specialty. If Bivol goes to throw jabs and transfer away, it gained’t work properly for him as a result of, as Lonnie says, Beterbiev cuts off the ring properly, and he’ll entice him in exchanges. With Beterbiev’s energy, it doesn’t take lengthy for him to knockout fighters, even once they run like Bivol will certainly be doing.
“When you might have that many newbie fights and also you’re that good, layoffs imply nothing,” stated Thompson when requested if Beterbiev’s layoff will have an effect on him for the Bivol struggle. “Simply take a look at what he’s doing. First, they stated, ‘Beterbiev is getting previous.’ He fights at 39 years previous and crushes Callum Smith.”
Beterbiev hasn’t been off for that lengthy. He simply fought final January, his second struggle in 2024. The layoff isn’t the query. It’s whether or not Beterbiev’s not too long ago injured knee is totally robust sufficient for him to struggle onerous for a full struggle.
“‘Oh properly, he’s getting higher,’ however now it’s, ‘Perhaps it’s the layoff now.’ The person is simply good. Recover from it. Pay attention he’s a freak of nature. His age don’t matter,” stated Thompson stated about Beterbiev. “He’s that good.”
