On October 12, a fight for the title of absolute world light heavyweight champion will take place in Saudi Arabia with the participation of two Russians – WBA and IBO world champion Dmitry Bivol and WBC, IBF and WBO world champion Artur Beterbiev. The rivals have close chances of winning, although bookmakers still give a slight advantage to Dmitry. True, now the situation can change a lot – Bivol was harshly set up by his ex-wife.

Now Beterbiev knows all the weak points of his opponent.

“Recovered 100%”

The idea of ​​holding a unified fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev began to be voiced when the Russians, through joint efforts, just took possession of the championship belts of all prestigious boxing organizations in the light heavyweight division. The athletes themselves initially spoke cautiously about such prospects, and among the fans there were plenty of opponents of this confrontation.

After some time, both boxers expressed a desire to fight in the ring; after protracted negotiations, it was decided to hold the fight on June 1 in Saudi Arabia. However, on the first day of summer, the grandiose boxing confrontation did not happen due to Beterbiev’s injury. Bivol then fought with Libyan Malik Zinad and even pleased fans with a knockout for the first time since March 2018, and Arthur took care of his health. By the age of 39, he had no injuries whatsoever, which to some extent could play into the hands of his opponent, however, Dmitry himself tries not to concentrate on the problems of the White Puncher.

– I don’t think about it. Because these are not good thoughts. I only think that he has recovered 100%. I am preparing for Beterbiev to be completely healthy and in his best shape. It keeps me focused,” Bivol said in an interview with Boxing News.

Arthur Beterbiev / Photo: © Jonathan Daniel / Staf / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Undeserved trump card

Bivol, like Beterbiev, was not inferior to anyone in the professionals and certainly did not end up in knockouts, but it would be naive to think that in 23 fights the 33-year-old boxer did not have any problems. True, it’s one thing when you generally imagine that your opponent has weak points somewhere; it’s quite another when “well-wishers” generously give you a map of pain points. Dmitry’s ex-wife Ekaterina acted as such a well-wisher for Arthur.

— After all the attacks on me by the woman of easy virtue Bivol, non-payment of alimony for his sons and complete refusal to communicate with them, I want to tell you everything I know: he has a stress fracture of a vertebra in his back, all his hands have been operated on, and more than once, his elbow one for sure, very sore knees, the left ear is constantly swelling, it has been broken many times, and fluid has also accumulated in the eye many times, he sometimes has difficulty seeing. But the main thing is that he is a coward! We need your victory, Arthur,” Ekaterina sent this message to Beterbiev on social networks.

You can try to understand a woman’s resentment towards her ex-husband, regardless of whether she exaggerates the scale of the problems or not, but this is not a reason to do so. A person with the punching power of Beterbiev can at least cripple Dmitry by deliberately attacking problem areas. But even if Catherine sincerely hates Bivol and wishes him terrible torment, then what was wrong with ordinary boxing fans who were really looking forward to a fight between two rivals of the highest level with a difficult to predict outcome? Now one of them has a trump card, and an undeserved one.

“This will not help Beterbiev”

Perhaps Arthur himself is hardly happy about such revelations. His team probably carefully studied the opponent, they themselves could find out all the weak points, yet every professional does his job honestly. And now neutral fans will perceive every blow to Bivol’s left ear as incredible meanness on the part of the White Puncher. And a hypothetical victory, no matter how confident it may be, will leave a residue. It is not surprising that boxing fans unanimously reacted to the betrayal on social networks:

– It’s not surprising that he broke up with her, she turns out to be a madam.

“The man is about to have a fight, and she’s doing her brainwork.” How does the planet carry such people?

“I thought it would be hard to beat my ex-wife in terms of stupidity and vileness, but here it’s x10 for sure.”

– At the same time, the opponent will definitely not pay her children from the fee, but he [Бивол] exactly if he wins.

– This will not help Beterbiev in any way.

– This is really low, you can’t argue with that.

“I think this only motivates Dmitry more.”