The first fight was a classic, albeit a controversial one. The second one has all the makings of another classic, but hopefully, a more definitive one. Of course, we’re talking about Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2. Keep reading for expert betting predictions on the fight’s outcome!
Before we go any further, we have to begin our preview of Beterbiev-Bivol 2 with a look at the current betting odds. Across the best betting sites, the fight is almost dead even, however, Beterbiev remains the slightest of favorites to win. Here’s how the lines shake out:
Beterbiev as the favorite makes sense, right? After all, he did win the first meeting back in October via majority decision. The final scorecards were 114-114, 115-113, 116-112 to make Beterbiev the undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world (and preserve his undefeated record). But as mentioned before, it was not without controversy.
Many scored the fight for Bivol, including his own promoter Eddie Hearn who called the final decision “robbery.” Is that some savvy promoting from Hearn trying to save face for his talent? Sure it is, but still, there was an argument to be made for Bivol. Certainly, the 116-112 scorecard was a head-scratcher.
But the past is the past as we approach the rematch only four months afterward. Once again, it’ll be for undisputed status as Beterbiev puts all of his 175-pound titles on the line again. The question is, how different can both fighters be with such a short turnaround? A lot actually, at least that’s what we see when observing the fight. We’ll cover that in the next section.
Is making picks on Beterbiev-Bivol 2 easy? No, but it can be lucrative. Unlike many other bouts, the boxing odds are very rich in value in this one. That means a winning pick actually pays out decently — not like when you’re taking a huge betting favorite. Still, we’re spreading out our bets in this one. Here are the three bets we’re eying most:
So what, if anything, is different in this fight compared to the first? For the winner, he wants to be even more aggressive. Beterbiev is 21-0 with 20 KOs. That means Bivol is the only fighter that’s ever taken him the distance. If his own promoter, the legendary Bob Arum, is to be believed, Beterbiev doesn’t want to do the same this time out. To truly leave no doubt he’s the best light heavyweight fighter on the planet, a KO victory is a must.
Then there’s Bivol. Knockouts are not his thing — only 12 of his 23 career wins have been by such. But besides power, Bivol is more technically sound than his opponent. The thing is, he didn’t necessarily fight that way the first time. Most of the first fight felt like a slugfest, which is not to Bivol’s advantage. His superior speed — to bounce around the ring and make opponents earn every punch — was not really on display.
If we’re Bivol, we’d lean on his movement in this bout. Let’s not forget that Beterbiev is 40 years old. The more he has to work to land his thunderous punches, the better for Bivol. That feels like a more realistic gameplan than Beterbiev’s knock-him-out plan because Bivol ate Beterbiev’s best punches the first time and was never really in danger.
With that said, we’re picking Bivol to win. He’s too smart and too talented not to switch his style up come the rematch. So long as he does, he’ll be tough to beat inside the ring.
Alright, now on to the classic over/under wager. Oddsmakers have squarely set this at 10.5 rounds:
The only reason you should even consider taking the under is if you’re backing Beterbiev to win. He has the stoppage power to pull it off. Bivol though? Yeah, highly unlikely. You already know we’re on team Bivol on this one so taking the over is the obvious choice. However, with -260 odds, it makes more sense to throw the over into a parlay. A straight bet just wouldn’t pay much.
Let’s head to the pro market for some extra fun now — who wins and how so. That’s the name of the game of the exact outcome prop bet, and the betting choices are as follows:
| Fighter |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beterbiev by Decision | +275 | +275 | +275 |
| Beterbiev by KO | +210 | +210 | +210 |
| Draw | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Bivol by Decision | +150 | +150 | +150 |
| Bivol by KO | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
Notice how Bivol by decision is +150? Now, that’s a valuable bet — more so than Bivol’s -105 moneyline. There’s just no way we see Bivol stopping Beterbiev so he either wins by decision or loses outright. If you have the same opinion as us, this prop just flat-out pays the best.
One last thing before you go: where do you actually bet on Beterbiev and Bivol? We recommend one of the following boxing betting sites:
At the above sites, not only will you get all the fight odds in one place, but you’ll also get bettor-friendly odds too. That way, you’re not leaving any money on the table and getting your full worth on every wager!
