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So, Artur Beterbiev blew up online yesterday, venting about how Dmitry Bivol keeps playing the waiting game for their third fight. Seriously, feels like it’s been forever. Beterbiev (he’s got like 21 wins, one loss, and a crazy 20 KOs) wonders if Bivol’s just biding his time, hoping Artur gets old enough to topple over easier. Little sneaky, right?
### Bivol’s Big Game: More Money, Less Stress?
But here’s the thing, maybe Beterbiev, who’s hitting the big 4-0, isn’t seeing the whole picture. Bivol (24 wins, 1 loss, and far fewer knockouts), seems to be chilling, eyeing that Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight happening on September 13th. Like, waiting to see who wins before making his next move.
If Canelo wins, Bivol’s probably itching for a repeat showdown. He’s already beaten Canelo once back in 2022. Can you imagine? There’s buzz Canelo’s down for round two. Oh, and if Crawford’s on the table, that could be wild. Especially if Turki Alalshikh starts tossing around dollar signs. Even if Crawford’s chances are slimmer than a sheet of paper, he might still take the plunge if the payday’s fat enough.
For Bivol, it’s like the scales are tipping in favor of waiting. More cash and less of that wince-worthy uncertainty of duking it out with a fully-fit Beterbiev. I mean, let’s rewind to last February, where Artur almost had Bivol smelling the canvas in that intense last round. So, yeah, can’t blame Dmitry for hoping to duck that bullet and aim for flashier fights with bigger bucks.
“He keeps changing the schedule,” Artur grumbled on Instagram. “First, it’s late autumn, then the year-end, now who even knows? What’s the magic age for this fight anyway?” You can almost hear him rolling his eyes.
### Does Beterbiev Have a Point?
Honestly, for Bivol, putting off the dicey third match just to see the Canelo-Crawford fallout seems pretty smart if you ask me. Way more gold at the end of that rainbow than dealing with a no-doubt grueling face-off with Artur, who could probably still smack him down like no big deal if he’s at peak performance.
Bivol will likely face Beterbiev eventually, maybe in a year or two. But, with Artur pushing into his 40s by then, the odds feel a bit more stacked in Bivol’s favor, right? Maybe. Maybe not. But hey, it’s all about playing the game smart these days. Or something like that.
