Artur Beterbiev Vs. Dmitry Bivol II: Odds, Records, Prediction

Four months ago, Artur Beterbiev won the undisputed light heavyweight championship by outfighting the undefeated Dmitry Bivol and taking a majority decision. Now, Bivol is getting a second crack at all four 175-pound belts, and this time, he’s determined to perform up to his own standards. Here’s everything you need to know about Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

The first Beterbiev-Bivol fight was basically considered a tossup beforehand. If Beterbiev were to win, it seemed more likely that he would have to stop Bivol to do it, and if Bivol were to triumph, it would have to be by decision since it seemed unlikely that he had the power to knock out Beterbiev.

Beterbiev made all those predictions moot by outboxing Bivol and winning the close decision. Although he was 39 going on 40 years old and was coming off knee surgery, Beterbiev and his power-punching abilities closed the bout strong. Though one judge scored the fight a draw, the other two gave Beterbiev the slight edge.

Bivol has since said that he’ll be better in the rematch because he’s figured out some aspects of himself.

“I learned about myself—that I don’t like to lose, and I need to push myself harder,” he said. “More punches and more endurance. I just need to be better in all positions. I need to be faster, harder, smarter. Everything needs to be better.”

You can expect Beterbiev to adjust his gameplan as well. But ultimately, he’ll probably rely on his power once again. In the first match, his strength and heavy gloves affected Bivol even when he blocked Beterbiev’s punches. After the match, Bivol showed off the bruise on his hand that Beterbiev gave him when Bivol was blocking Beterbiev’s work.

“I’m aware I have to do everything perfect,” Bivol said after learning of Beterbiev’s victory. He might feel he has to do the same on Saturday. Especially since Beterbiev said he still hasn’t peaked as a fighter.

“I think [my best performance] is going to be in the future,” he told Sky Sports. “Maybe on Saturday, maybe later, we’ll see.”

Here’s more info on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol rematch that U.S. viewers can watch on PPV.com for $25.99 beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.

Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol odds

For their first match, Bivol was the slight betting favorite. This time around, Beterbiev is the slight betting favorite at -125 (bet $125 to win $100), while Bivol is the +100 underdog (win $100 on a $100 wager). You will, however, get a much better price on either picking Beterbiev to win by decision (+260) or by stoppage (+225). If you like Bivol, you can grab him to win by decision at +150.

If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Beterbiev to beat Bivol at -125, Vergil Ortiz Jr. to beat Israil Madrimov at -125 and Martin Bakole to stop Joseph Parker at +220. If all those hit, you’d make a $937 profit on a $100 wager.

Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol records

Say this for Bivol. He was Beterbiev’s first opponent to last the entire fight without getting knocked out. Otherwise, Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) has been perfect in his career, knocking out Callum Smith, Joe Smith Jr., Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Anthony Yarde.

Though Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) fell short vs. Beterbiev, his list of victories has been impressive. He’s outpointed Canelo Alvarez, Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, Joe Smith Jr., Sullivan Barrera and Jean Pascal. Considering Bivol has never knocked out an A-level opponent, he once again will likely have to outbox Beterbiev to have a chance to win.

Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol prediction

Bivol had a solid performance vs. Beterbiev. But he’s going to have to be even better this time around to get the nod. Beterbiev, though, simply has too much power. Even if he doesn’t hurt Bivol, Beterbiev’s heavy shots will do more damage than whatever offense Bivol provides. It should be another close fight, but ultimately, Beterbiev will pull it out again by close decision, somewhere in the 115-113 range.