MOSCOW, May 13. World Boxing Council (WBC) World Champion and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight Russian Artur Beterbiev said that he did not consider the victory of compatriot Dmitry Bivol over the Mexican Saul Alvarez a great achievement. Last week in Las Vegas, Bivol defeated Alvarez and defended the title of world champion according to the World Boxing Association ( WBA Super) in light heavyweight (up to 79.4 kg).
"I did not watch this fight, I rarely watch them at all. Thought Canelo would win. Bivol is a good guy. I'm afraid to say too much so that no one thinks anything. But Gennady Golovkin boxed at 160 pounds with Canelo and drew the fight, and lost another time. They had close fights. I would not consider the victory over Canelo a great achievement. In terms of media, yes, but if you take a purely boxing component, it seems to me that this is not so. If I now beat a person two weight categories lower, then I would be unpleasant. It's like in childhood the elders check whether you are brave or not. This is how I perceive it", Beterbiev said in an interview on the MMATIKA YouTube channel.
«Bivol is great. In any case. He did his job perfectly, he won. We don't know Canelo's story, what and why he didn’t succeed. But Dmitry did his job,” said the Russian boxer. On June 18, in New York, Beterbiev will fight with American Joe Smith, holder of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) belt.