Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will meet in one of the year’s biggest fights in Saudi Arabia on February 22nd. The duo are rematching for Beterbiev’s undisputed light heavyweight title in what is being billed as ‘The Last Crescendo.’ Beterbiev is the slight betting favorite, but the fight really looks too close to call. We name our boxing betting picks in our big fight preview.
- Who: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2
- What: Undisputed Light-heavyweight Championship
- Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- When: Saturday, February 22nd, 2025
- Ring Walks: TBC
Artur Beterbiev defeated Dmitry Bivol in their first fight on October 12th. The fight ended in controversy after Beterbiev was awarded the win by a majority decision, with Bivol’s team disputing the result.
Artur Beterbiev beats Dmitry Bivol by majority decision to become the first undisputed light heavyweight championship of the four-belt era.
The scorecards were 114-114, 115-113, 116-112.#BeterbievBivol pic.twitter.com/9Kley6nInM
— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) October 12, 2024
The truth is that the fight was extraordinarily close. There was no clear winner, and no one would have argued if the contest had been declared a draw.
Both men entered the ring with 100 percent win records, Beterbiev was 20-0, and Bivol was 23-0. Nothing separated them on paper, and very little separated them in the ring.
The judges scored the fight 115-113, 116-112, and 114-114. The only anomaly is the four-round margin given to Beterbiev by one of the judges.
Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2: Fight Breakdown
Artur Beterbiev has a professional fight career record of 21-0. The 40-year-old has won 19 of his 20 fights by KO or TKO.
Before the Bivoal fight, Beterbiev had only once in his career been taken to the 12th round. That was in 2017 when he knocked out Enrico Kolling with less than 30 seconds of the fight remaining.
Beterbiev went into the first fight as the holder of the IBF, WBC, and WBO championships. Dmitry Bivol held the WBA light-heavyweight championship belt. Beterbiev left the ring with all four belts, becoming the first undisputed light heavyweight champion since Roy Jones Jr. in 2002.
Dmitry Bivol has a career fight record of 23-1. The breakdown shows 12 of his 23 wins have come by knockout with 11 by decision.
All 11 of Bivol’s decision wins have been unanimous, including his famous victory over Canelo Alvarez in 2022.
As well as an additional W on Beterbiev’s record and a first L on Bivol’s fight resume, both boxers have added a year to their age since the first fight.
Artur Beterbiev is 40. He started the first fight as the outsider at +120. But despite his age, Beterbiev has only fought 21 times as a professional.
Dmitry Bivol is now 34. He was the -150 betting favorite to win the first fight. Maybe the combination of his younger age and Beterbiev’s lack of going the distance tipped the balance in the younger man’s favor with the bookmakers.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 Betting Odds
The latest boxing betting odds have flipped for the rematch. Artur Beterbiev is the favorite to win the second fight at -125. The odds are still remarkably close, with Dmitry Bivol at -105 to level the score at one win apiece.
The fight is -260 to go over 10.5 rounds and +210 to finish in under 10.5 rounds.
| Beterbiev vs Bivol 2 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artur Beterbiev | -125 | -125 | -125 |
| Dmitry Bivol | -105 | -105 | -105 |
| Under 10.5 Rounds | +210 | +210 | +210 |
| Over 10.5 Rounds | -260 | -260 | -260 |
In the props markets, the fight is -200 to go the distance and +150 to finish before the bell at the end of the 12th round.
Odds of +700 are available on the fight to end in Rounds 1-6, and +275 to finish in Rounds 7-12.
The method of victory betting is:
- Dmitry Bivol to win by decision +140
- Artur Beterbiev to win by KO, TKO, or DQ +210
- Artur Beterbiev to win by decision +265
- Dmitry Bivol to win by KO, TKO, or DQ +1000
- The draw +1400
Interestingly, the odds of a draw in the rematch are the same as in the first fight.
For our odds, we have only used the best betting sites for wagering on boxing. You can read more about them on our best Boxing Betting Online Apps 2025 page.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol Betting Picks and Predictions
There is little to separate the two fighters. The only differences seem to be the six-year age gap in Bivol’s favor and how their respective fights have ended.
Beterbiev is the bigger hitter. He tends to get the job done early. The general feeling ahead of the first fight was that if anybody was going to win by a KO, it would be the older of the two.
Bivol is the more technical fighter. He has the ring craft to catch the judges’ eyes.
But Bivol now knows he isn’t guaranteed the win if the fight goes the distance. Everybody knew that Beterbiev was the more likely to win by KO, so to see the older guy win on the scorecards may have been a shock to many, including Bivol and his team.
Nevertheless, it is also unknown how much going the distance for the first time in his career may have taken out of Beterbiev. He isn’t used to grueling contests that go deep. Asking the 40-year-old to go to the well again, may be one time too many.
We expect to see a busier Bivol in the rematch, making Beterbiev look his age. Bivol will know what went wrong in the first fight. And we expect him to put it right in the second.
Dmitry Bivol to win is our betting pick, probably by decision.
Make sure you check out our top-rated sportsbooks below. These are our recommended Boxing betting partners that you can read more about on our Best Sportsbook Reviews 2025 page:
-
50% bonus up to $1000Play NowT&C apply, 18+, Play responsibly
-
EXCLUSIVE BONUS 125% up to $3,125Play Now
T&C apply, 18+, Play responsibly
-
50% up to $500Play Now
T&C apply, 18+, Play responsibly
-
100% up to $1,000Play Now
T&C apply, 18+, Play responsibly
-
50% bonus up to $1000Play Now
T&C apply, 18+, Play responsibly
