Roy Jones Jr thinks Dmitry Bivol will beat Artur Beterbiev in their upcoming light-heavyweight fight. The boxing legend shared his prediction for the match set for October 12 in Saudi Arabia.
The winner of this fight will become the undisputed champion at 175lbs, a feat not achieved since Jones himself held all the belts in 2002. Boxing fans are split on who will come out on top, with Beterbiev's power facing off against Bivol's skill.
Jones Jr's main concern is Beterbiev's ability to take a punch. He pointed out that Beterbiev has been knocked down several times in his career.
"Beterbiev gives a good punch but I don't know if he takes a good punch because he's been down 2 or 3 times in only 17 fights. He has 20 now, but If you've been down 3 times in 20 fights there's a problem somewhere. I really think Bivol has the advantage, and I will go Bivol."
Jones Jr shared this opinion during an interview with Talksport. He believes that strong punchers often struggle to take punches themselves, using Julian Jackson as an example. Jackson, known for his power, was knocked out by both Gerald McClellan and Mike McCallum.
Beterbiev's record shows 20 fights with 20 wins, all by knockout. He has been knocked down twice in his career - once by Jeff Page Jr in 2014 and again by Callum Johnson in 2018. In both cases, Beterbiev got up and won by knockout.
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The fight between Beterbiev and Bivol is set to be a big one. Fans are eager to see who will come out on top and claim the title of undisputed champion in the light-heavyweight division.