LONDON – With Artur Beterbiev sitting approximately 10 meters away from him at the top table in London, Dmitry Bivol was typically respectful about the task ahead. On Oct. 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the pair will meet for light heavyweight supremacy in a contest that carries genuine historic significance.
Though Beterbiev didn’t even attempt to stifle a yawn during some lengthy introductions, there was an obvious focus on the face of Bivol and, when he spoke in English, a hint of nerves. Neither man was designed to sit and talk behind a microphone, after all.
What mattered most to Bivol, he was asked, the belts or the chance to take on Beterbiev?
“I wanted the undisputed fight, first, and I wanted to fight against the best boxers in the light heavyweight division,” Bivol said. “This is my goals to make my name. He has these belts.”
The 39-year-old Beterbiev owns three of them, Bivol is the owner of another. Between them they’ve amassed 43 professional fights without a draw or defeat among them.
“I hope that casual fans around the world can understand the importance of this fight,” Bivol’s promoter Eddie Hearn had previously stated. “It’s going to be one that goes down in history; it’s the best fight that can be made in boxing today.”
It’s hard to argue with that.
It’s the fight that, in effect, Bivol has always wanted.
“This is my goal when I came to pro boxing, to be the best in the light heavyweight division and this is the final fight to prove myself,” the 33-year-old Bivol said. “What it means for me? I’ve been in boxing since I was six years old. I sacrificed so much in my life. This is the final step. Did I do everything right or not? I want to make it that I did everything right.”