Roy Jones Jr Gives an Intriguing Take on Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev

It’s barely been two weeks since light-heavyweight phenom Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) retained his WBC, IBF, and WBO titles in a sensational showdown against Callum Smith (29-2, 21 KOs). A showdown that further cemented his 100-percent knockout streak. Meanwhile, it looks like an undisputed fight against Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) is right around the corner. With the hype building up for the fight, Roy Jones Jr (66-10, 47 KOs) gave his take on the fight’s potential outcome.

Jones was in an interview with FightHype recently, and in conversation, he compared the matchup to Muhammad Ali (56-5, 37 KOs) vs George Foreman (76-5, 68 KOs).

“I’m going to go Ali over George Foreman because Foreman had massive power, but Ali had the IQ, the speed, and footwork to stay away from the power,” he said.

Jones further mentioned that Bivol thinks like him (Jones) while fighting and has similar footwork.

“He doesn’t have an arsenal, but he does think a lot, and he does his feet a lot,” he said. “So, if Bivol can avoid him for two or three rounds, then Bivol will beat him. However, if Bivol goes out and fights him toe-to-toe, Bivol will not beat him because no one at 175 will fight Beterbiev toe-to-toe right now.”

Jones believes that while Beterbiev’s power remains unmatched, Bivol might have the upper hand if he places a major emphasis on his footwork. Moreover, he added that Beterbiev would have a hard time maintaining his power beyond the first few rounds if Bivol remained mobile and outboxed him by going the distance.

“Here is the most important reason”

It seems like Jones is not the only one who believes that Bivol will emerge victorious in the fight. In fact, boxing coach Teddy Atlas also mirrored Jones’ thoughts in a video on his YouTube channel.

“I think that Bivol beats him. I think that Bivol controls range, he counter-punches well, he is defensively very solid,” Atlas said, “But here is the most important reason why I give Bivol a chance – he is mentally solid too.”

Atlas believes that being mentally solid is quintessential inside the ring “to keep the pressure from sinking” the fighter.

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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