Dmitry Bivol is the favourite to defeat Artur Beterbiev later this month.
That's the consensus between Darren Barker, Joseph Parker and Ariel Helwani, who discussed the upcoming undisputed world light heavyweight title fight on DAZN'S Roundtable.
WBA and IBO champion Bivol faces Beterbiev, the IBF, WBC and WBO titleholder, in Riyadh on October 12, and Barker explained that while the bookies may favour Beterbiev due to his power, it's actually Bivol's skills that give him the edge.
"I like his feet," Barker, a former IBF middleweight champion, said. "In the foot work department, I think he's that good the way he glides in and out effortlessly, and he doesn't jump out of range too far.
"He'll make you miss by that much, and that much is the difference between winning and losing."
- Read more: Helwani explains why the Beterbiev-Bivol spotlight might favour one fighter over another
- Read more: Eddie Hearn outlines favourite for Beterbiev-Bivol clash
Parker, the current WBO interim heavyweight champion, also singled out Bivol's foot work but listed his technicality and patience as additional virtues that will come in handy against a big puncher like Beterbiev.
"I favour Bivol as well," Parker said. "I feel like he's more precise with his punches and [has] good foot work."
Meanwhile, combat sports journalist Helwani pointed to Beterbiev's knee injury suffered earlier this year as an advantage for Bivol, especially as Beterbiev has not fought since undergoing surgery for a ruptured meniscus in May. The knee injury forced Beterbiev out of the original date for this bout, June 1, on which Bivol fought and defeated replacement opponent Malik Zinad.
"Bivol has been active," Helwani said. "He fought, I know, lesser competition, but he hasn't had to [come back from injury].
"And I think that Bivol is the better boxer. Beterbiev is the better puncher, the harder puncher, but Bivol's the better boxer. And so for that reason, I favour Bivol."
Helwani added that Bivol's June 1 victory against Zinad convinced him that the 33-year-old had regained his form after a "lackadaisical" win against Lyndon Arthur on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin late last year.
"If this was happening in in June when it was supposed to happen originally, and we're coming off of Bivol-Arthur, I would be saying a completely different thing," Helwani explained. "I wasn't very impressed with him in that fight. I think he regained a lot of our trust and confidence after how he looked in June [against Zinad].
"I felt like he was a little lackadaisical [against Arthur]. I felt like he wasn't engaging. I felt like he was just trying to get the win in that fight on the December 23 card."
Watch Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol live October 12 on DAZN (excluding US and Canada). Click here for details.
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