Dmitry Bivol thinks Artur Beterbiev hits harder than Canelo Alvarez. The WBA light-heavyweight champion shared his thoughts ahead of his rematch with Beterbiev this Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
Bivol has faced both men in the ring. He out-gunned and out-boxed Canelo in May 2022, handing the Mexican superstar his first loss in almost ten years. Last year, he went toe-to-toe with Beterbiev in an undisputed contest that ended up being a tight affair.
Beterbiev started slow but eventually got a foothold in the fight. He landed enough heavy shots to secure a points decision - the first of his career after knocking out every previous opponent.
In an interview with Manouk Akpyan, Bivol compared the punching power of both fighters:
"Yeah, of course, [Beterbiev] punches more naturally harder. He doesn't put too much effort into being hard. Other fighters, they put effort in to make their punches hard. He doesn't much too much effort."
Bivol wasn't entirely happy with his performance in the first fight against Beterbiev. He rated himself only "5 or 6 out of 10" and believes he can do better in the rematch.
The Russian boxer will get his chance to improve on Saturday night. Former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk sees it as a 50-50 fight, setting the stage for an exciting battle for all the light-heavyweight belts.
