It's no secret that Artur Beterbiev is the only active world champion to maintain a 100% knockout rate – 20 wins and 20 knockouts, and even in the entire history of boxing, the late champion Edwin Valero has been matched by the late champion Edwin Valero – 27 wins and 27 knockouts.
Beterbiev, who holds three light heavyweight belts in the WBC, IBF and WBO, will make his debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 1 against WBA Champion Dmitry Bivol, who will become the first man in his division's history to hold all four belts at the same time.
In an interview with ESPN this week, Beterbiev revealed that he doesn't deliberately seek knockouts against Bivol, and for this reason, many fans said that when he finishes his fight with Bivol, Beterbiev is likely to lose 100% of his knockout rate, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Of course, if Beterbiev loses, he will also lose 100% of his knockout rate.
Beterbiev said he won't be chasing knockouts because he knows how tough the fight can be and is ready for a 12-round fight against Bivol.
"It's important, yes, but I don't want to do it deliberately. ”
Fans waited 4-5 years for the Beterbiev vs Bivol match, until the Saudi Arabian consortium intervened to make the big battle a reality, and without Saudi Arabia's involvement, it would still be unknown whether Bivol and Beterbiev could reach an agreement.
The reality is that Beterbiev won't have it easy to knock Bivol down, as Bivol is undoubtedly better than most of his previous opponents, but given the strength of his punches, he can still wreak havoc if he gets the chance, and fans want to see knockouts happen.
One of the big disadvantages of Beterbiev against Bivol is age, he is 39 years old, on the contrary, Bivol is only 32 years old, the gap is still very obvious, but Beterbiev does not think this is a big problem, he said: "Wait and see! I'm not old, only 39 years old, really not old, I will be 100% ready, I just can't tell you what I will do." ”
Some fans believe that the reason why Bivol and Beterbiev reached an agreement this year, in addition to the need to overcome the difference in remuneration, is that the Bivol team deliberately dragged it out, and they waited for Beterbiev to age, and when they finally saw an opportunity, they decided to sign the contract.
As for the previous contact with Bivol's team, Beterbiev seems to have had enough, thinking that the other party is not only grinding and chirping, but also running the train with his mouth. "If you ask Bivol, he will never tell the truth," Beterbiev said. Matches are always different, so your preparation must be different. ”
The battle between Bivol VS Beterbiev, according to the style of play of the two fighters, will be a typical encounter of skill VS strength, as for who will have the last laugh? Good or bad form is likely to be the only factor that determines the victory or defeat! Beterbiev said that he will not deliberately pursue knockout opponents, indicating that he has made full preparations and has formulated strategies to deal with different situations. In the author's opinion, it doesn't matter if Beterbiev loses 100% knockout rate, what matters is that if he beats Bivol, as long as he wins, he will have it all, and who cares if he has a 100% knockout rate at that time?