David Benavidez insists former WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitri Bival deserves to win his fight against IBF/WBC/WBO champ Artur Beterbiev in Riyadh on October 12 last year.

Excellence of Bibhol

WBC 'interim' 175-lb champion Benavidez said Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) threw the better combinations and controlled most of the fight. He thinks that if Bivol, 34, fights the same way he did last time, he will defeat undisputed champion Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) in their rematch on February 22nd in Riyadh. Their fight will be shown live on DAZN PPV.

Some believe that the reason Benavidez picked Bivol to win the rematch is because of his desire to win because he may lack the confidence to beat Beterbiev, who is a huge puncher. In the fighting style of 'Mexican Monster' Benavidez he puts every ounce of power into every punch to get the most power into his shots.

David is not a big puncher, so he loads up on everything thrown at him to improve his abilities. This style won't work against Beterbiev because he throws short punches with huge power, and unlike Benavidez, he doesn't have to finish to build his power.

It will be an unlucky night if Benavidez fights Artur. He couldn't load his shot because he would be tagged. Moreover, David's rapid-fire combination punches will leave him open to Beterbiev's counters and knockdowns.

While Benavidez takes good shots because of his thick skull, which looks a bit like acromegaly, his body shots aren't as good. He can get hurt there. In the 12th round, Oleksandr Govozdyk landed a hard right hand to the midsection of Benavidez, completely shutting down his offense for the rest of the round.

He didn't throw a punch after Govozdyk was hit to the body in the final round. Beterbiev is a better body puncher than Gvozdyk, and he'll see that weakness and focus on that spot rather than wasting punches on Benavidez's thick skull.

Rematch Predictions

“I thought Beevel won that fight. It was a close fight. It can't go either way,” said David Benavidez mediaTalking about the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitri Bival fight in Riyadh on October 12th last year.

“I think Beevel won most of the rounds. He was controlling most of the round, and his combination punching was better,” Benavidez continued. “I think he (Bivel) will (win the rematch on February 22).

“Both of these fighters are high powered fighters. So they can adjust. I don't know if it will be the same fight or not, but if it is the same fight, I think Bival will win.”