Tonight, boxing offers up the perfect fight

Unbeaten vs unbeaten, champion vs champion, power vs precision. Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev could be an undisputed title fight for the ages

Every now and then in boxing, you get a perfect fight. They’re hard to find, and harder to get signed, but they do exist. Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol is one such fight.

For all the warranted criticism of Saudi Arabia’s entry into boxing, amid concerns over sportswashing, the realm’s new rulers have undoubtedly delivered match-ups that previously eluded fans. Among those match-ups, of course, one is likelier to find these perfect fights.

In May, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk squared off in one of them: the first undisputed heavyweight title fight in 25 years, a meeting of unbeaten, generational talents. But even then, a “perfect” fight is usually just that on paper, and not necessarily in the ring. Fury and Usyk, however, delivered a modern classic, and they may yet do the same in their rematch on 21 December.

Overshadowed by that pair of heavyweight blockbusters in Riyadh, sitting between them chronologically and taking place in the same city, is tonight’s main event: Beterbiev vs Bivol.

Like Fury vs Usyk 1, it is an undisputed title fight between unbeaten, pound-for-pound talents. Beterbiev, No 6 in the Indy Sport rankings, holds the WBC, WBO and IBF light-heavyweight titles. Bivol, ranked fifth on our list, is the WBA Super champion. Both fighters are of Russian descent, though Beterbiev now represents Canada and Bivol has Kyrgyzstani heritage.

Yet just as Beterbiev and Bivol’s similarities make for an intriguing dynamic, their differences are equally compelling. The fight could almost be framed as the beauty of Bivol’s work versus the beast that is Beterbiev.

Artur Beterbiev (left) and Dmitry Bivol will clash to crown an undisputed light-heavyweight champion (Getty/iStock)

That beast has a 20-0 record, and it has knocked out every foe it has faced. Bivol, meanwhile, has 12 knockouts from his 23 unanswered wins. The 33-year-old is a volume puncher, a fluid technician and a deft mover, while Beterbiev prefers to bludgeon his opponents: sometimes early, sometimes late, but always with brutality.

So far, anyway. Bivol believes he can be the one to finally defy the 39-year-old, whose age has proven an irrelevant statistic in his recent fights. And Bivol is not the only one who believes; the odds have this bout a near-50-50, but with the younger man favoured ever so slightly.

There is every chance, though, that Bivol could have the beating of Beterbiev until he doesn’t. It is not hard to picture the quicker, tidier man leading Beterbiev after seven, eight, nine rounds – perhaps even 11 – only to succumb to the same stupefying, sense-stealing power that has altered the fortunes of so many men.

Eddie Hearn, Bivol’s promoter, is naturally one of those who believe in the IBO king’s chances, but even Hearn acknowledges the looming danger that has swallowed everyone Beterbiev has faced.

Beterbiev broke down Callum Smith last time out, in January (Getty Images)

Speaking to Indy Sport columnist Steve Bunce on his BBC 5 Live Boxing podcast, Hearn provided the following, apt description: “I think the best way to describe it is, when you fight Beterbiev, it’s like a ticking time bomb. You know when you wind it up, and it starts: tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.

“But the speed of that time bomb depends on the opponent. So, as the ring gets cut off, as you get walked down, as you can’t take the pressure, the volume, the punch selection, the tick, tick, tick, tick, tick moves faster. Now, Dmitry has the ability to make that tick really slow.

“How slow can he make it tick? The ‘boom’ point is 12 rounds, and that’s really what it comes down to. Beterbiev is going to get you, but how quick can he get you? And how long do you have left when he does get you?

“The only person that can beat Beterbiev right now is Dmitry Bivol, nobody else. And he can do it. But what you can’t afford is to get two or three rounds in, and all of the sudden [the ticking quickens], because you’re losing time. What you want to do is get to eight or nine, and it’s still moving slowly.

Bivol’s standout win came against Canelo Alvarez, when he was too big, fast and aggressive for the face of boxing (Getty Images)

“And you might get caught in the 10th or the 11th, when you’re seven rounds up, and you might have to hold on for dear life. You’ve got to slow that clock down – with footwork and a little bit of power. The last thing you want to do is get backed up. And whatever you do, do not touch the ropes.”

There it is: Bivol needs to be perfect; Beterbiev does not. Either way, this is a perfect fight on paper. Some will argue it would have been better with Beterbiev further from 40 – or even earlier this year, before he sustained a ruptured meniscus – but an ageing Beterbiev has been no less exciting than his younger self, no less fearsome. There will be questions over his injury and his age combined, yes, but if anyone has the weapons to make those elements redundant, it is Beterbiev.

So, when the first bell sounds tonight, it won’t be the only noise you hear. Somewhere, maybe in the back of your head, there will be another sound. Tick... tick... tick...