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On Saturday, October 12, the biggest light heavyweight bout in the 21st century takes place as undefeated champions Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) and Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) battle to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion.
This thrilling light heavyweight fight will emanate from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and air live on ESPN+ beginning at 6 pm ET. Beterbiev will put his WBC, WBO and IBF titles on the line, while Bivol puts his WBA belt up for grabs.
This matchup was originally scheduled for June 1, but it was pushed back until this weekend as Beterbiev needed surgery on a knee injury suffered during training.
The winner of this fight is going to be one of the top pound for pound fighters in the sport of boxing. Additionally, they will have a plethora of unbeaten, hungry, young fighters looking for a shot at the undisputed crown like: David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs), David Morrell Jr. (11-0, 9 KOs) and Joshua Buatsi (19-0, 13 KOs).
It can’t be stated enough how much this bout is not only going to shape the landscape of the light heavyweight division for the next several years, but it could greatly help boxing to become a sport where more unbeaten champions fight each other, especially with Saudi Arabia throwing around tons of money.
Let’s take a look at the latest Beterbiev vs. Bivol odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our Beterbiev vs. Bivol predictions.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol Preview
Check out the latest tale of the tape for Beterbiev vs. Bivol:
| Fighter | Artur Beterbiev | Dmitry Bivol |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 39 | 33 |
| Height | 5’11.5” | 6’0” |
| Reach | 73” | 72” |
| Total Fights | 20 | 23 |
| Record | 20-0 | 23-0 |
| Knockouts | 20 | 12 |
| Odds | Even | -130 |
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Artur Beterbiev Recent Fights
Artur Beterbiev enters this fight as the slight underdog as of this writing. Yet, he has more world titles than Bivol and is the only world champ to have a perfect win-to-knockout record. In other words, Beterbiev is 20-0, with 20 knockouts, and a real threat to hand Bivol his first loss. That’s something that not even the great Canelo Alvarez could accomplish.
Beterbiev first won the IBF light heavyweight title by defeating Enrico Koelling via 12th round KO in November 2017. The belt was vacant at the time and Koelling was knocked down twice in the final frame.
In October 2019, Beterbiev captured the WBC light heavyweight strap with a 10th round KO over Oleksandr Gvozdyk, who was knocked down three times in the round.
In June 2022, Beterbiev defeated Joe Smith Jr. via 2nd round TKO and added the WBO world light heavyweight belt to his waist.
With three of the four belts in his camp, Beterbiev defended those titles in two fights since getting the WBO strap. He beat Anthony Yarde in January 2023, via 8th round TKO. Yarde’s corner asked the ref to the stop the fight in the 8th.
One year later, Beterbiev blasted Callum Smith in the 7th round via TKO. At the time, he was ahead on the cards by two points with two judges and four points with the third judge.
Other than the Koelling fight, Beterbiev has never seen the final round of a sanctioned professional bout. He’s a feared puncher with lethal knockout power. It’s also something he warned the rest of the division about, heading into this weekend’s clash:
“If I land, everyone can be knocked out. At the same time, we’re not thinking about a knockout, it’s not the main thing in our team.”
Artur Beterbiev Odds
Currently, Beterbiev’s odds range from +100 to +120 depending on the sportsbook. These odds are in line with the opening range of +100.
However, this is the first time that Beterbiev has been listed as the underdog since his fight against Gvozdyk. He opened as a +100 underdog, and closed at a range of -105 to -120. Gvozdyk opened at -120 odds and closed at a range of +100 to -125.
Since that championship fight, Beterbiev’s closest line was -340 against Callum Smith when the fight first opened in August 2023. That moved to -450 when the fight became official later in the year.
Prior to that, Beterbiev was -900 against Yarde and -833 versus Joe Smith Jr.
Dmitry Bivol Recent Fights
Dmitry Bivol took the round-about way to getting the WBA light heavyweight title as the governing body decided to elevate Bivol from interim to full champion around the time he fought Trend Broadhurts in November 2017. He would win that fight via 1st round KO.
Bivol would then take on the rugged Sullivan Barrera in March 2018, where he won via 12th round TKO. This was the toughest fight of his career up to that point. However, that all changed when he fought Canelo Alvarez in May 2022.
Alvarez is the best fighter that Bivol has faced. However, he was able to fight Canelo at light heavyweight and didn’t have to go down in weight. That proved to be an advantage for Bivol as he was able to win via unanimous decisions with a 115-113 score for all three judges.
Bivol followed up that win with two more decision victories over Gilberto Ramirez via unanimous decision and Lyndon Arthur via unanimous decision.
His last bout came in June 2024, where Bivol crushed Malik Zinad via 6th round TKO. With the Beterbiev fight postponed due to an injury in training camp, Bivol decided to keep busy while he waited for the division’s top fight.
With the massive light heavyweight showdown finally here, Bivol had the following things to say about his opponent this weekend:
“I feel amazing before the most important fight of my life. Just look at his record to see why he’s a really dangerous fighter. It’s proven that he’s one of the most dangerous opponents. He has the skills. He’s not only just a good puncher. He’s a really good and smart fighter. He has experience and a boxing IQ. He has three belts for a reason.”
Dmitry Bivol Odds
As of this writing, Bivol is the betting favorite with odds ranging from -120 to -145. He opened at -110 odds once the lines were listed after the rescheduling of this fight against Beterbiev.
When he was unable to fight Beterbiev in June, due to the latter’s injury, Bivol fought Zinad as mentioned above. He was a massive -4000 betting favorite for that contest. He was also a -5000 favorite against Arthur and -480 against Ramirez.
Bivol was a sizable underdog against Alvarez in May 2022. He was listed at odds of +280 to +450. That’s the last time we see the unbeaten champ as an underdog.
Beterbiev vs. Bivol Predictions
This weekend’s light heavyweight clash is going to be awesome. I can’t wait to see these two unbeaten fighters compete for the undisputed crown.
The odds are very close for a reason, and that’s due to both men being very close in overall talent and skills. Many handicappers are split down the line as well.
Beterbiev has the advantages in power. He can change a fight, or finish it, with one punch. He comes straight forward and smothers opponents, breaking them down before putting them away.
Bivol is the more technical fighter with better movement, speed, punching combos, hand speed, footwork and defense. He will fight at a distance, calculating his chances, and breaking down his opponents fundamentally instead of physically.
Although both fighters have their own ways to finish off each other, it’s hard to think that Bivol will put himself in position to allow Beterbiev any clean power punches. I see Bivol using his movement, jab, and hand speed to fight at a preferred range.
As long as Bivol doesn’t get hurt with any punches, he should be able to pick apart Beterbiev before picking up the victory.
Bet: Dmitry Bivol (-130)The Best Beterbiev vs. Bivol Prop Bets
The following Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol prop bets are courtesy of BetUS:
Over/Under 10.5 rounds
- Over 10.5 (-180)
- Under 10.5 (+150)
Beterbiev’s incredible streak of knocking out every opponent that he’s faced, will come to an end this weekend. I don’t see that streak continuing. And I do believe that this bout will go Over 10.5 rounds.
Both men are smart fighters with strong chins. I doubt there will be many moments of this fight where each man gets a prolonged opportunity to land power punches. So, this fight should come down to technical skills and mental fortitude.
Bet: Over 10.5 (-180)Will Fight go the distance?
- Yes (-150)
- No (+110)
Although Beterbiev has never gone the distance in a pro fight, Bivol has done so in 11 of his 23 pro bouts. In fact, prior to the Zinad fight, Bivol went the distance in nine consecutive bouts.
Since I don’t see either fight picking up a finish in this weekend’s bout, I believe we’ll see it go the full 12 rounds.
Bet: Yes, fight will go the distance (-150)Method of Victory
- Bivol via TKO/KO/DQ (+600)
- Bivol via decision (+120)
- Beterbiev via TKO/KO/DQ (+175)
- Beterbiev via decision (+700)
- Draw (+1400)
As stated above, I believe this fight will go the distance. So, now it comes down to which man you think will win the bout once it goes to the scorecards.
For me, I like Bivol. First of all, he’s gone the distance in nine of his last 10 fights. Second, he’s the more well-rounded fighter and can win this fight mentally or physically. I believe he will nullify Beterbiev’s power and win the majority of rounds to pick up a unanimous decision victory.
Bet: Bivol via decision (+120)Group Round Betting
- Either Fighter wins in rounds 1-6 (+550)
- Either Fighter wins in rounds 7-12 (+210)
- Fight To Go The Distance (+150)
If you want to add some risk to your ticket for this fight, then go with either fighter winning in rounds 7 through 12. This could also be a great way to hedge your bets. You can also just play it safe and stick with this fight going the distance.
Bet: Fight To Go The Distance (+150)
