Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 Odds and Predictions

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On Saturday, February 22, boxing fans will be treated to an epic rematch as Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) and Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) go to war for the second time in five months over the undisputed light heavyweight crown.

These two men first competed against each other on October 12, 2024, and Beterbiev came away with the controversial majority decision along with the light heavyweight championship belts and the undisputed crown.

This historic rematch will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and it’s loaded with exciting world title fights. Not only will we see two of the top pound-for-pound fighters in all of boxing go to war for a second time, but this PPV event has one of the deepest undercards in recent years.

In addition to the main event for the undisputed light-heavyweight crown, “The Last Crescendo” PPV event also features six more championship fights.

The semi-main event is a heavyweight showdown as Joseph Parker challenges Daniel Dubois for his IBF heavyweight championship. Fight fans will also see Shakur Stevenson defend his WBC lightweight title against Floyd Schofield, and Carlos Adames putting his WBC middleweight belt on the line against the rising Hamzah Sheeraz.

This event kicks off at 11am ET. However, the estimated ring walks for Beterbiev and Bivol won’t take place until 5:30pm ET.

Their first encounter was supposed to shape the landscape of boxing moving forward. All it did was create controversy and delay the division’s future along with the weight classes directly below and above light heavyweight. Will we have a clear-cut winner the second time around?

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: 

Beterbiev vs. Bivol First Fight

The first fight was a highly anticipated showdown that boxing fans from around the world couldn’t wait to seek their teeth into. The bout was supposed to take place in June 2024, but was pushed back for medical issues due to Beterbiev’s surgically repaired knee.  

So, by time it took place in October, most boxing fans were already delirious with excitement to see these two unbeaten boxers battle for all of the light heavyweight gold and glory. It’s exactly what boxing should be about. Two undefeated champs fighting to be the best.

Beterbiev came away with the majority decision as the judges scored the fight 115-113, 116-112, 114-114. Many pundits and fans didn’t think that Beterbiev won the bout and they definitely questioned the scores especially the 116-112 score.

Beterbiev had entered their first fight having won all 20 of his professional bouts via KO. Obviously, that streak was snapped.

Because many fans and pundits believed that Bivol won the bout, the result demanded a rematch and both fighters agreed. Bivol was ahead on the cards, but Beterbiev apparently swept the final three rounds according to the judges.

Betterbiev kept coming forward and putting the pressure on Bivol. Although the latter looked more technically sound and efficient, the judges felt that Beterbiev’s pressure and aggressive offense was the difference in this contest.

Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, was outraged over the result and fired his own verbal haymakers after the fight:

“But you saw the body language, they knew they’d lost the fight. 116-112 Beterbiev? You gave Bivol four rounds? This is a joke. Of course [we want a rematch], he was robbed of the undisputed championship tonight. I cannot believe you could give Bivol four rounds. … It’s absolutely disgusting. I’m absolutely baffled and disgusted at 116-112.”

I had the fight 115-113 for Bivol. I would have been perfectly fine with a Draw and a rematch. Although we get this fantastic rematch, Bivol having one loss on his resume is a black mark against the judges and not the talented fighter.

Artur Beterbiev Recent Fights

Artur Beterbiev enters this fight as the slight odds-on favorite due to winning their first contest. The 40-year-old had the most impressive fight resume in regards to knockouts among the elite in boxing. He entered that first bout with a record of 20-0. All 20 of those wins came via knockout.

Beterbiev first won the IBF light heavyweight title by defeating Enrico Koelling via 12^th round KO in November 2017. This world title was vacant at the time of the fight. Koelling was knocked down twice in the final frame, which sealed the deal for Beterbiev.  

In October 2019, Beterbiev would go on to claim the WBC light heavyweight championship after defeating Oleksandr Gvozdyk via 10^th round KO. Gvozdyk was knocked down three times in the round and really wasn’t a threat to win.

In June 2022, Beterbiev would capture the WBO world light heavyweight belt after putting on a show by crushing Joe Smith Jr. via 2^nd round TKO. It was a complete destruction of Smith and a declaration that Beterbiev was one of the best in boxing.

Beterbiev would go on to defend those titles in two fights. The first defense came in January 2023, where he beat Anthony Yarde so badly that the challenger’s corner asked the ref to stop the fight in the 8^th round. So, the champ added another TKO victory to his resume.

The next defense came nearly a year later, as Beterbiev would face Callum Smith. Once again, the champ would remain perfect with 20 victories via KO. Beterbiev finished off Smith via TKO in the 7^th round. He was ahead on the cards and eventually pummeled the credible challenger.

Beterbiev’s knockout power and strength have been devastating up until the first bout against Bivol. Yet, even though he didn’t stop Bivol, and the latter was able to block most of Beterbiev’s punches, Bivol still had bruising on his face. In fact, he also had bruising on his hand from blocking the punches.

Beterbiev hit him so hard that Bivol’s blocks went back into his face and caused bruising more than actual punches landing.

After the first fight had ended, Beterbiev proclaimed that Bivol is probably the better boxer of the two and that he would have no problem with a rematch

“Of course, it’s a tough fight because Dmitri is a champion, too. He has good skills, maybe better than me. But today, Allah chose me. I wanted to box today with more quality. I don’t know why, but I didn’t like this fight. But I’ll be better one day. … If His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] wants [the rematch], then we can do it.”

Clearly, Beterbiev recognizes Bivol’s skills and that the outcome to their first bout left more questions than answers. He didn’t hesitate at all when it came to making this rematch.

Not only is that a testament to his willingness to fight anyone, it’s also a testament to his character. As we’ve seen in boxing before, many champs have run away from rematches against opponents that should’ve won.

Artur Beterbiev Odds

In this rematch, Beterbiev opened as the -138 favorite and currently sits at -120 to -135 depending on what sportsbook you look at. That’s slightly higher from the first fight when he was listed at a range of +100 to +120. Beterbiev was the underdog for that first bout.

However, that was the first time that Beterbiev has been listed as an underdog since his fight against Gvozdyk, which he easily won.

Beterbiev 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. As you can see, the betting lines were very tight.

Since that championship fight against Gvozdyk, Beterbiev’s closest line was -340 against Callum Smith when that world title bout first opened in August 2023. His odds moved to -450 when the fight became official later on.

Prior to that contest, Beterbiev was a -900 betting favorite against Yarde and an -833 odds-on favorite versus Joe Smith Jr. As mentioned above, the champ would go on to crush both of those challengers.

Dmitry Bivol Recent Fights

Dmitry Bivol overall body of work helped him go from the WBA interim light heavyweight champ to the full champ in late 2017, when he fought Trend Broadhurts in November of that year.

Bivol would destroy Broahdurts via 1^st round knockout. That victory would earn him a step up in competition when he would face Sullivan Barrera in March 2018. Bivol would need almost the full 12 rounds to capture the victory. He ended up scoring a 12^th round TKO in what was the toughest fight of his career up to that point.

Bivol’s status would take a massive leap in May 2022, when he faced Canelo Alvarez who jumped up in weight to try and capture another world title in another weight class. The bout was thrilling, but Bivol proved to be too big for the smaller Alvarez to handle.

Bivol won that fight via unanimous decision with the score of 115-113 on all three of the judges’ cards. The victory catapulted Bivol into another stratosphere.

Following the biggest victory of his career, Bivol would go on to defend his title against Gilberto Ramirez in November 2022. The challenger was 44-0 at the time and took Bivol to the distance. However, the champ would win that bout via unanimous decision with scores of 117-111, 117-111, and 118-110.

Bivol wouldn’t fight again for 13 months when he stepped back into the ring to face Lyndon Arthur. The champ would win via unanimous decision with the scores of 120-107 on all three cards.

Six months later, in June 2024, Bivol crushed Malik Zinad via 6^th round TKO. He decided to take that fight after the Beterbiev bout was postponed due to medical issues during training camp.

With Bivol marching towards that bout against Beterbiev, he seemed poised to win. However, as we all know, that didn’t happen.

Nevertheless, Bivol isn’t taking the same approach or any chances in the rematch. In fact, he’s going into this weekend’s clash wanting to leave no doubt:

“I don’t care, I don’t even want to count. I will find that I won more rounds, like seven-five and I will tell myself, ‘Yeah, I did the job, I won, but it wasn’t fair for me’, and this and that and I will be relaxed. I don’t want to be relaxed to find somebody else’s mistake in the fight. It was only my mistake. I could win this fight without doubt.”

Dmitry Bivol Odds

As of this writing, Bivol is the slight underdog for this rematch. He’s listed with odds ranging from -110 to +110. In the first bout, Bivol was the betting favorite as his odds could be found in a -120 to -145 range. When the fight was first scheduled for June 2024, Bivol was listed at -110 odds.

In his two bouts prior to Beterbiev, Bivol was a massive betting favorite over Zinad at -4000 odds. In fact, those were slightly down from his -5000 line against Arthur.

The Ramirez fight saw Bivol closing as a -480 betting favorite. That was the exact opposite of his status against Canelo when he closed at a range of +280 to +450. Bivol was the biggest underdog of his career when taking on Alvarez.

Beterbiev vs. Bivol Predictions

In the first fight, I picked Bivol to win. I thought, and still do, that Bivol was the better boxer. Nothing in that first bout has changed my mind as to which fighter is the better boxing skills. Even Beterbiev acknowledged that Bivol has the better skills.

With that said, the same attributes will be the deciding factors just as in the first bout. Beterbiev showed that he is stronger and more powerful. His relentless pressure smothered Bivol and left him battered and bruised.

It was clear that Beterbiev wore down Bivol in the latter rounds of the fight. I didn’t think it was enough to win the bout, but two of the three judges did and so did the Beterbiev fans.

Bivol showed his speed, technical skill, and agility advantages. But even by Bivol’s standards and recent comments, the former champ was too defensive in the bout. Allow me to translate, it means he wasn’t as aggressive as he should’ve been by throwing more punches.

I believe that all changes this weekend. I see Bivol improving from the first bout, where he made tactical errors, to fight a more complete fight and win.

Bet: Dmitry Bivol (-105)

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 (-265)
• Under 10.5 (+215)

In the first fight, I clearly laid out why I thought that bout was going Over 10.5 rounds despite Beterbiev’s incredible knockout streak. I feel the same way for this bout.

Bivol withstood the pressure and power of Beterbiev. Although he didn’t win the fight, he still showed that he can endure any punishment that comes his way. I fully expect this bout to go Over 10.5 rounds.

In fact, the odds favor it more so than the first fight. In their first bout, the Over 10.5 round prop was set at -180 odds. As you can, see that’s well below -265 odds for this rematch.

Bet: Over 10.5 (-265)

Will Fight go the distance?

• Yes (-200)
• No (+150)

Like with their first bout, I expect this contest to go the distance. That October clash saw Beterbiev go the distance for the first time in his career. It also saw Bivol go the distance for the 12^th time in his 24 professional fights.

Furthermore, these odds are larger than the first bout. In that first meeting, the Yes option was listed at -150 odds. As you can see, the odds for this boxing prop bet’s Yes option are listed at -200.

The oddsmakers are clearly favoring a full 12-round fight and so am I.

Bet: Yes, fight will go the distance (-200)

Method of Victory

• Bivol via TKO/KO/DQ (+1000)
• Bivol via decision (+150)
• Beterbiev via TKO/KO/DQ (+210)
• Beterbiev via decision (+275)
• Draw (+1400)

If you have connected the dots from the prop bets and predictions above, then you will clearly see what my prediction is for this bout.

I have Bivol winning, the fight going Over 10.5 rounds, and for this world title bout going the distance. So, that means I like Bivol to win via decision (+140).

It’s the same prediction I had for their clash last October. However, at that time, the Bivol via decision option was listed at +120 odds compared to this prop’s +150 odds.

So, we get more of a return on our investment this time around. That’s partly due to Beterbiev winning that first contest and being the favorite for this bout.

If you believe in Beterbiev, then take his option to win via decision at +275 odds as Bivol has already proven that he won’t be stopped inside the distance.

Bet: Bivol via decision (+150)

Group Round Betting

• Either Fighter wins in rounds 1-6 (+700)
• Either Fighter wins in rounds 7-12 (+275)
• Fight To Go The Distance (-200)

In the first bout, oddsmakers were leaning towards the fight going the distance in this prop bet but also offered lower odds on the fight ending in rounds 7-12.

This was my prediction in the first fight, for this exact prop bet:

“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.”

I feel even more confident in the bout going the distance, so I would suggest just sticking with that option as these two world-class fighters have already proven they need at least 12 rounds to decide the outcome.

Bet: Fight To Go The Distance (-200)

What’s Next For The Winner of Bivol vs. Beterbiev?

There are two different options for the winner of this fight. And, it really comes down to which man wins.

If Bivol can win this time around, then there will be a trilogy fight which all fans want. I know I do. In fact, Turki Al-Sheikh has already said that if Bivol wins then their will be a third fight. And, by all accounts he doesn’t want to have to wait for any mandatory challenger to get a shot at one of the titles.

Speaking of that, if Beterbiev wins then he will most likely have to face David Benavidez who is the mandatory challenger for the WBC light heavyweight title. Benavidez just recently crushed Morrell Jr. in a dominant showing.

Beterbiev’s camp is all for a Benavidez fight because the challenger’s style matches up well with the champ.

In other words, we will have to wait until Saturday’s outcome to see what happens next. Either way, fight fans will be treated to an exciting match for the winner whether it’s a trilogy bout or a matchup against Benavidez.