Boxing Tips

Looking back over the past couple of decades in boxing, you’d struggle to find a better match-up than Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol. On Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the undisputed light-heavyweight championship will take centre stage as these two undefeated world champions go head-to-head in what is being billed as the “IV Crown Showdown”. There are 43 professional wins and 32 knockouts between these two outstanding fighters and after years of talk, both men will meet centre ring to determine who the best of the best is in the 175-lb class. On the undercard, Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke run it back in a rematch of their heavyweight draw from earlier in the year, Jai Opetaia defends his cruiserweight title against Briton Jack Massey, Skye Nicolson and Raven Chapman make history for women’s boxing, and there are outings for Chris Eubank Jr. and Ben Whittaker. Let’s take a closer look at the fight that will be lighting up Riyadh Season this Saturday night, plus the top boxing betting offers from the best betting sites. Check out below our two betting tips for Beterbiev v Bivol on Saturday evening. The two things that edge us into backing Bivol on the scorecards are a) Beterbiev’s age and b) his injury earlier this year. Being 39 and rupturing your meniscus is going to take it’s toll on anyone – even if you are Artur Beterbiev. In a fight where he is going to be expected to move the most in order to attempt to cut the ring off from the agile Bivol, cracks may begin to appear in the Beterbiev body as he struggles to dig as deep as needed. The last thing you lose is your power in boxing, and although Beterbiev isn’t a traditional one-hitter-quitter, his bludgeoning power is going to test the whiskers of Bivol. This may come late in the fight, but 7/1 for Bivol to climb off of the canvas to win the fight is a great pick. Wardley-Clarke is an unmissable feature on the undercard in Riyadh, as the British heavyweights enter Round 13 of their rivalry that saw them fight to a draw back in March. They were hard to split in London, but Wardley probably has the tools to learn the most from their original contest and make the adjustments. Ever since Saudi Arabia have discovered their interest in boxing, the one thing you can’t level against them is the quality of match-ups they have been able to create across the boxing landscape. Fury-Usyk, Spence-Crawford and Beterbiev-Bivol have been on the wish-list of boxing fans for years, and we are just hours away from completing the trio as the light-heavyweight throne is decided. Beterbiev and Bivol are as close to perfect as you can get in the 175-lb division. Both men are world champions, have remained undefeated throughout challenging careers and look like they have plenty more to offer the sport without showing too many signs of wilting in their 30s. It’s being billed as a power (Beterbiev) vs precision (Bivol) fight, but there is way more to the contest than these contrasting styles; Bivol is a dangerous puncher when he sets the pace, and Beterbiev’s ability to cut the ring off illustrates his high boxing IQ. Whatever the outcome, this is set to be a memorable night in Riyadh as Beterbiev and Bivol lock horns for light-heavyweight supremacy. Russian-born Canadian Artur Beterbiev is the most intimidating fighter in the sport – and his numbers back that up. The 39-year-old is the only world champion with a 100% knockout rate (20 KOs in 20 contests) and fights with a cold conviction that has only ever ended in one result. He’s not a slugger like many KO artists; Beterbiev is well-schooled from a Soviet background who relies on his extraordinary ring IQ to cut off escape angles for his opposition, and wears them down with thudding punchers from granite fists. Wins over Anthony Yarde, Callum Smith, Joe Smith Jr. and Oleksandr Gvozdyk are included in his impressive seven-year title reign, and he brings his WBC, WBO and IBF titles to the table in just his 11th year as a pro. Turning over at 28 means Beterbiev was able to build an incredible amateur resume, winning golds at World Championships, European Championships and World Cups – the base that he has been able to build his successful pro career on. A ruptured meniscus caused Beterbiev to pull out of this fight originally scheduled for the start of the summer, and is a question mark hanging over his head as a possible physical weakness in his latter years. Dmitry Bivol relies more on technique and counter-punching than his opponent Beterbiev. The younger man at 33, Bivol has built a less explosive record of 23-0, winning nine of his last 10 fights on the scorecards via unanimous decision. These shutouts have been impressive in different ways, but Bivol’s 2022 win over Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez was his rubber stamp in confirming that he is one of the very best in the business. Canelo may well have been up at a weight class too heavy, but the Mexican usually gets everything his own way, but was manhandled by a strong and relentless Bivol. Bivol brings his WBA title to the party, one in which he claimed in 2016 in just his seventh fight, and he’s not looked like losing it since. Check out the top boxing offers and free bets currently available from the leading bookmakers.