Dmitry Bivol came well prepared for today's press conference for his second bout with undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, in their bout next month on February 22 in Riyadh.
Beterbiev's dangerous stare
Former WBA 175-pound champion Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) had a humorous line when he asked a supervisor about his message to Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs): “I'm not a mailman. I'm an athlete.” This made everyone laugh except Beterbiev, who gave Bivol a look that said: “You'll see.”
That look said it all. Bivol will be eliminated unless he runs like he did last time out in his 12-round majority decision loss to Beterbiev on October 12. Bivol was unable to stand in front of Beterbiev the last time after he started pressuring him at the sixth hour. On the sixth,
Bivol tried to stand his ground and stumbled. From there he abandoned ship and went on a long retreat, firing as he ran, holding and showing no readiness for combat. Bivol fans were frustrated, they thought their champion had won, but they were never faced with the truth.
He lost his nerve and courage when he needed it against Beterbiev. Peafowl looked like he was being chased through the forest by an angry wolf. His eyes were wide with fear, and no heart showed. It was a classic example of a fighter who lost his nerve and was about to survive to avoid humiliation.
Bivol spoke nonsense today in the press conference, talking about how “luck” has nothing to do with success. This is a common phase in Eastern Europe, but in this case, the words were unconvincing because he would not fight harder than he did last time.
If he did, he would likely be fired because he lacks the courage, chin, and strength needed to stand up to the hungry wolf, Petrev.
Beterbiev won his previous fight on points 115-113, 16-112, 114-114.
Return of the Hunter
Dmitry Bivol: “This is a good opportunity for me. I know people love the first fight, and they want to see the second fight. I want to have the second fight, and I want to be the winner of this fight. What about the belts that I can see. Before, I wanted these belts and nothing else.” Today, I don't just want belts, I want revenge. I want to fix what I did before. I want to win,” Bivol said during today's match. press conference.
“I need to change enough to prove that I am better, and I need to add more actions. We have already changed a little in the training camp. We have added some coaches to our training camp, and now I am working on developing myself. Of course, I want to be better. “Perfect, and I try to be that way.”
Arthur Beterbiev: “My goal now is to keep my belts, and I will do my best to do that. He has a rematch if he wants to do it (revenge). Better enough to win. Just enough to win. I don’t know. “Maybe because he got lucky that night,” he said. Beterbiev said of why Bivol saw the final bell in their previous fight on October 12.
Bivol: “I don't believe much in luck. I believe luck will come to people who work a lot, and I work at it and get lucky. Luck won't come without work. I don't have any letters. I'm not a postman. I'm an athlete. I'll come to the ring and we'll talk with actions. “
Beterbiev: Do you mean the postman? No, I think we'll have a good fight on February 22nd. My message is to be ready. That's it. “Nothing more.”
