Shawn Porter Expects Bivol’s Mastery Over Beterbiev In Light-Heavyweight Matchup

Porter forsees Bivol outboxing Beterbiev in historic undisputed clash

Shawn Porter offers his observations on the forthcoming Beterbiev vs. Bivol fight for the undisputed light-heavyweight title /

By Mohamed Bahaa

Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will square off on October 12 to decide the unquestionable light-heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. Legendary Roy Jones Jr. was the last competitor in this division to accomplish such a feat. Now he will be joined in that elite club by Beterbiev, renowned for his deadly knockout ability, and Bivol, valued for his tactical skills.

With every opponent he has defeated in the ring by knocking out, Artur Beterbiev has developed a terrifying reputation, a claim not made by any other present world champion. Though not well-known for his knockouts, Dmitry Bivol has shown amazing control of the pace and distance of his battles, earning victories through calculated strategy.

Recently on his podcast, former world champion Shawn Porter offered his opinions on the approaching game. Porter showed faith in Bivol's ability to beat Beterbiev, predicting that the fight would not finish in the early rounds as past events have shown.

"Artur Beterbiev is going to take a lot of punches like he always does, and I don’t think he can catch up to Dmitry Bivol," stated Porter. "Nope [he can’t drag Bivol into a fight]. Too damn disciplined. Too much lateral movement. Too intuitive. Good boxer.”

Originally set for June 1st, the bout had to be postponed after Beterbiev suffered a meniscus rupture during his training camp. There have been few details regarding his recovery and comeback, which has supporters doubts whether the 39-year-old fighter still has the strength to deliver yet another remarkable performance. Beterbiev’s last bout was in January, where he stopped Callum Smith in the seventh round.

In contrast, Bivol has been the more active fighter. In December 2023 he secured a unanimous decision victory over Lyndon Arthur; he then followed it up by stopping Malik Zinad in June.

The question still stands as the fight date draws near. Will Bivol's tactical brilliance be able to overcome Beterbiev's relentless force or will Beterbiev add another knockout to his perfect record?