Bivol v Beterbiev next!

[TitoFan]

I respectfully disagree. To me it is nothing like Floyd-Pac. That one was epochs beyond its due date. Bivol is at his prime at 33 and, although Beterbiev is more "ripe" at 39, the fact is he's only got 20 professional fights. So probably less "shop-worn" than most other 39-year old boxers. We all know that a certain amount of hype and anticipation is needed in boxing for the buildup. In some cases it's totally overdone (and "over-marinated")... and in other cases it falls within the boundaries. It's just that us boxing fans are by nature an impatient group. We want to see all the best matchups now. Which of course is what makes us an endearing group.

I find this matchup refreshing. Here are two top-notch fighters putting it all on the line against one another. No DIVA shenanigans. No stupid clauses, no A-side bullshit... I think everyone here knows where I'm going with this

... but I won't.

Still, I'm glad it's finally happening, and it has the makings of one of the best fights of the decade.

Both Beterbiev and Bivol have been full champions at 175 since Nov. '17. Beterbiev defeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk in late 2019 and Canelo Alvarez got in the way with the WBO belt and the Kovalev fight, leaving Beterbiev to snap it up from Joe Smith. Beterbiev's injuries are frequent and he might be more shopworn than we think. There are many to blame for this fight not happening before now but I feel it should have happened in late 2022 if not before then.

I see your points on Beterbiev, and it's true the fight could've occurred a bit earlier. But comparing it to Floyd-Pac is a humongous reach. People had been clamoring for that fight for years, and when it finally happened, both (particularly Pacquiao) were way past their peaks. Pac had even already been "planked" by JMM. The fight itself was a mere empty shell of what it could've been years earlier, a total letdown. No way Bivol-Beterbiev, even at this relatively late date, drops that far down from the anticipated hype.