David Benavidez insists former WBA welterweight champion Dmitry Bivol deserved to win against IBF/WBC/WBO champion Artur Beterbiev on October 12 last year in Riyadh.
Buffalo’s superiority
WBC 175lb ‘interim’ champion Benavidez says Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) landed the better combinations and controlled most of the fight. He feels that if Bivol, 34, fights the same way he did last time, he will defeat undisputed champion Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) in their rematch on February 22nd in Riyadh. Their fight will be shown live on DAZN PPV.
Some believe the reason Benavidez is picking Bivol to win the rematch is because he wants him to win because he might lack the confidence to defeat Beterbiev, who is a big puncher. The ‘Mexican Monster’ Benavidez’s fighting style involves putting every ounce of energy into every punch to maximize the power of his punches.
David is not a big hitter, so he loads up on everything he throws to improve his power. That style won’t work against Beterbiev because he lands short punches with a lot of power, and unlike Benavidez, he doesn’t need to wind up to generate his power.
If Benavidez fights Arturo, it will be a miserable night. He couldn’t load shots because he would be flagged. Moreover, David’s quick punch combinations left him open to being countered by Beterbiev and knocked out.
Although Benavidez shoots well due to his thick skull, which has a slight appearance of acromegaly, his body shooting ability is not as good. You can get hurt there. In the 12th round, Oleksandr Gvozdyk landed a hard right hand to the midsection of Benavidez, completely shutting down his offense for the rest of the round.
He didn’t throw a punch after being hurt by Gvozdyk in the last round. Beterbiev is a better body puncher than Gvozdyk, and he will see that weakness and focus on that area rather than waste punches on Benavidez’s thick skull.
Rematch prediction
“I thought Bivol won that fight. It was a close fight. It couldn’t have gone either way,” David Benavidez said to the mediatalking about the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitri Bivol fight on October 12 last year in Riyadh.
“I feel that Bivol won most of the rounds. He controlled most of the rounds and his combination striking was better,” Benavidez continued. “I think he [Bivol] works [win the rematch on February 22nd].
“Both of these hunters are high caliber hunters. So they can adapt. I don’t know if it will be the same fight or not, but if it is the same fight, I feel that Bivol wins.”
