Former gentle heavyweight contender John Scully, an intrinsic a part of Artur Beterbiev’s group, believes that a formidable win for his fighter over Dmitry Bivol on Saturday would see the Russian lock in a spot on the Worldwide Boxing Corridor of Fame.
Beterbiev, the unbeaten and undisputed king at 175lbs, captured Bivol’s WBA title final 12 months, successful an in depth resolution of their first combat, and Scully believes {that a} decisive win – and definitely a stoppage victory – might land Beterbiev a plaque in Canastota.
“I’d assume if that was to occur, he could be a lock already for the Corridor of Fame,” Scully advised BoxingScene. “I must assume, and also you’d should say, regardless that he hasn’t had a ton of fights, you’d should say he’s one of many high 5 biggest gentle heavyweights ever.
“I’ve at all times thought [Oleksandr] Gvozdyk was his greatest win [before Bivol]. That was in my eyes. Callum [Smith] was proper up there, Joe Smith contemplating his stature beating Bernard [Hopkins], his energy and all that, that was an excellent win, particularly contemplating the way through which he beat Joe. [Anthony] Yarde was an excellent win. Marcus Browne was an excellent win. He’s had very stable wins.”
Scully, as true a boxing man as you will see anyplace, is filled with confidence forward of the rematch and the coach – who works alongside Marc Ramsay – wonders whether or not Bivol has had time to completely get well from their preliminary expert but bruising first encounter.
On his social media platforms, Scully had recognized that Bivol nonetheless appeared to hold marks round his left eye from final 12 months’s bout.
“For certain, it was noticeable final month when Artur and Bivol met on the press convention and you can see his eye was broken, in order that sort of tissue harm that doesn’t go away in a single day. I’d think about, as soon as Artur begins catching him with the suitable, it’s going to be an issue for him.”
In 1998, at cruiserweight, Chris Eubank and Carl Thompson fought an unforgettable battle for the WBO title and after they boxed once more three months later, Eubank’s eye didn’t seem absolutely healed. It rapidly began to swell and the combat was stopped with Eubank’s eye slammed shut.
The primary encounter was shut and will have been scored both manner. As a consequence, Scully thinks Bivol may now be caught between kinds as he tries to show some extent within the rematch, having been crushed for the primary time.
“Properly, I used to be pondering, he clearly can’t resolve to be super-aggressive and bang with Artur, that might be silly, and I don’t assume he can transfer extra as a result of if he strikes extra it’s going to appear to be he’s working,” Scully defined. “I’d assume he must attempt to mix the 2 kinds collectively higher however he doesn’t appear to be the man that wishes to commerce large pictures for an prolonged interval. However I don’t assume he can field extra as a result of it received’t be an excellent look, so I’m unsure what he’s going to have the ability to do.”
Having had 12 rounds within the reverse nook, Scully now says his group is extra assured of a repeat end result than they have been even going into the primary combat. They know what they’re up in opposition to and have seen what Bivol has to supply.
“You come off the primary combat and Artur was simply coming off [knee] surgical procedure. That’s powerful for anyone, and I’m certain perhaps subconsciously he was fascinated about it. This combat, I feel he [Beterbiev] positively understands what he must do to win in a extra decisive style and he appears intent on doing that. We really simply had a very nice speak about it yesterday and he’s on board and on the suitable web page with what he must do.”
Beterbiev has stated this week that he’s properly preserved at 40 as a result of he has lived the life, stayed in form and maintained his self-discipline, and Scully has seen an analogous myopic outlook earlier than.
“100 per cent, similar manner like Bernard Hopkins did,” stated Scully. “They’ve very totally different kinds however they’ve the identical mentality so far as Bernard is a Muslim as properly, and Bernard is thought for not consuming fired meals and ingesting soda and issues like that. I feel there’s one thing to be stated for that mentality.”
In boxing, as boxing goes, inevitably there’s at all times hypothesis at what may come subsequent. There has already been loads of speak about a trilogy combat ought to Bivol settle the rating, whereas others salivate on the prospect of Beterbiev being paired with David Benavidez – who is anticipated to make an look in Saudi Arabia this weekend.
Whereas that combat clearly excites Scully, it’s nowhere close to the agenda for him or Beterbiev.
“I’ve been with Artur 9 years this month and in all that point I’ve by no means each heard him speak about another fighter apart from the one he’s preventing. By no means,” stated Scully. “I by no means heard him point out another fighter’s identify, it doesn’t matter what folks have been speaking about, he was at all times speaking about solely who he was preventing and that has not modified in any respect.
“Clearly that’s an enormous combat. It’s an enormous combat in the entire boxing recreation, but in addition any fan, when you can say, ‘Okay, we are able to make any combat what combat do you need to make,’ and when you put that combat on the desk, and let folks actually take into consideration what sort of combat it is going to be, I must assume that might be the No. 1 combat in boxing, I imply realistically perhaps much more than this one, really, style-wise.”
Tris Dixon lined his first novice boxing combat in 1996. The previous editor of Boxing Information, he has written for a lot of worldwide publications and newspapers, together with GQ and Males’s Well being, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Belief and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports activities and hosts the favored “Boxing Life Tales” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Corridor of Famer, an Worldwide Boxing Corridor of Fame elector, is on The Ring scores panel and is the creator of 5 boxing books, together with “Injury: The Untold Story of Mind Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Yr), “Warrior: A Champion’s Seek for His Id” (shortlisted for the Sunday Instances Worldwide Sportsbook of the Yr) and “The Street to Nowhere: A Journey By Boxing’s Wastelands.” You may attain him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
