Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol Predictions, Picks & Odds for Feb. 22

A rematch of one of 2024’s best bouts takes center stage as Artur Beterbiev faces off against Dmitry Bivol this Saturday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh with the undisputed light heavyweight title on the line. 

Beterbiev’s razor-thin decision was not enough to seal the deal to determine the best fighter at light heavyweight, and another close battle with Bivol awaits.

Boxing odds have Beterbiev as a -130 favorite, and Bivol is a +105 underdog. Here are my best Beterbiev vs. Bivol predictions and free betting picks from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Beterbiev vs Bivol prediction and pick

• My fight prediction
  Beterbiev moneyline (-130 at DraftKings)
  
  
• My best bet
  Over 10.5 rounds (-280 at DraftKings)

Fight analysis
The first fight was told in two parts. Dmitry Bivol used his boxing finesse and hand speed beautifully, not giving Artur Beterbiev much to hit and staying mindful of getting in exchanges. However, Beterbiev kept chipping away with the heavier shots, slowing down Bivol until he took over the fight in the championship rounds. 

Many believed Bivol should have won or that a draw would have been warranted, but Beterbiev’s stronger finish got it done then and will likely get it done again.

One thing went under the radar before the first fight, and that was that Beterbiev was inactive for a year while coming off knee surgery, and his mobility and explosiveness were going to be hampered by the ring rust. That won’t be the case anymore as he’ll be fresher and have more spring in his step.

While Beterbiev just turned 40, he doesn’t use a dynamic style that would be compromised by his age.

Also, Bivol was utterly exhausted at the end of the fight and couldn’t do anything to stop Beterbiev from coming after him from the ninth round onwards, which happened to be the easiest rounds to score for Beterbiev.

While Bivol boxed beautifully, his lack of punching power and inability to frustrate the always-stalking Beterbiev saw him getting broken down. I don’t see much of an avenue for improvement for Bivol aside from being mindful of Beterbiev’s body punches, which were paramount to sapping Bivol’s energy in the later rounds and giving him the openings he needed to narrowly cross the finishing line.

Principal to Bivol’s strategy must be the ability to move, punch, and evade for 12 hard rounds, so he’ll need to find a way to give Beterbiev pause with strategic clinches and maintain his movement in the closing rounds.

This should be another close fight, and when we look at how these two match up, anything less would be a disappointment. I do believe that Beterbiev can improve on his performance and should be able to maintain more effective pressure from the start, especially as all Bivol can do is try to box his way to a decision.

With Beterbiev able to keep up with Bivol in the earlier parts of the fight, he won’t need the hurried finish to potentially break away later in the fight.

It’s going to be close, but I expect Beterbiev’s forward pressure to make more of an impact early on, giving him more breathing room and another well-fought win.

Best best analysis
Bivol showed that he could take Beterbiev’s big shots early and late, being the first person to go the distance with him. Because Bivol won’t be any less evasive here, and his combination punching gave Beterbiev fits in the early going, this fight will be a carbon copy of the first and potentially be up for grabs in the championship rounds. 

A pick either way will be risky, so I suggest we go the safe route here and bet that the fight goes Over 10.5 rounds.

Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of 2-21.

Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol tale of the tape

Pages related to this topic