When Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol have finished punch swapping in Riyadh on October 12, boxing will crown its first undisputed light heavyweight champion for 20 years and order will be restored at 175 pounds. But where will the winner rank on the pound-for-pound list?
It’s never easy to predict movement on the mythical rankings because there are so many moving parts. Winning or losing is one thing, but you must consider the quality of a performance and address any controversy that might arise.
When Pernell Whitaker was anointed the No. 1 fighter in the world pound-for-pound in 1993, it was on the back of a draw with fellow legend Julio Cesar Chavez. Why was Whitaker viewed as the best? Because almost every boxing insider on the planet thought he beat Chavez with room to spare.
WATCH: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, exclusively on ESPN+
Beterbiev and Bivol are two elite-level pound-for-pound entrants and they’re putting it all on the line in a genuine superfight. Will the winner be the best fighter in the world?
For the sake of this feature, we’ll assume that both men would have won convincingly.
Will Artur Beterbiev become pound-for-pound No. 1 with a win over Dmitry Bivol?
Give Artur Beterbiev gloves, an opponent, and a referee who can count to 10 and he’s perfectly happy. The Russian-born destroyer has never heard a judge’s scorecard read out in an 11-year professional career. That’s remarkable!
In his most recent bout, in January, Beterbiev smashed former super middleweight champion Callum Smith inside seven rounds. Despite losing heavily to Canelo Alvarez in 2020, Smith was never in danger of being stopped in that fight, which highlights just how powerful Beterbiev is.
If Bivol goes the way of all flesh and succumbs to a violent knockout, then Beterbiev (currently rated No. 7 pound-for-pound) is sure to rocket up the rankings. The question is, can he take the No. 1 spot?
The top-3 are Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue and Terence Crawford, who have all been pound-for-pound mainstays for several years. I wouldn’t bet on Beterbiev going all the way to the top, but he could be mighty close come Sunday morning.
Again, it all depends on the quality of his performance.
MORE: SN’s Top-12 best pound-for-pound boxers
Will Dmitry Bivol become pound-for-pound No. 1 with a win over Artur Beterbiev?
With the possible exceptions of Naoya Inoue and Shakur Stevenson, Bivol is the most technically perfect fighter in world boxing.
For anyone looking to scream at me because I didn’t mention Oleksandr Usyk or Terence Crawford, both of those great champions are more improvisational and unique with their respective fighting styles. Think of Muhammad Ali or Roy Jones Jr. as other examples of that.
Bivol has a strict Eastern European style and executes every shot with sublime technique. He’s defensively sound, well-balanced, and boxes out of a strong stance. He also has every punch in the book and possesses terrific speed for a man of his size.
Both Canelo Alvarez and Zurdo Ramirez were outclassed and soundly defeated by Bivol. The Canelo performance was eye-popping and established Bivol as a pound-for-pound player, while the Zurdo showing rubberstamped his overall quality.
If Bivol (rated No. 6 pound-for-pound) outclasses Beterbiev and dominates this fight, then he’ll also be knocking on the door of the No. 1 spot. It will go to a democratic vote, but the Russian star might fall just short of securing the No. 1 position due to the quality ranked above him.
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