Bivol admits he needs to change his strategy to win the rematch

Dmitry Bivol says he understands he needs to try a different strategy to earn a rematch with undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in their fight in 60 days on February 22 in Riyadh.

Can Buffalo change?

For Buffalo to win the rematch, he needs to change his fighting style from being defensive to focusing on being aggressive and staying in the pocket. With his fragile chin, lack of strength, age and unwillingness to take hits, Buffalo is unlikely to change. He is 34 and quite established.

Former WBA 175-lb champion Bivolu (23-1, 12 KOs) isn't coming right out and saying it, but he spent too much time running away from Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) after stunning him with a powerful jab in seventh round.

The 34-year-old Bivolo showed no desire to hold his position after this round, and the last five rounds have been a long, bitter retreat. It was stunning to see Buffalo surrender and run away, giving up the fight and thinking only of survival; he showed weakness and unwillingness to fight. Beterbiev took advantage of Bivol's reluctance to fight.

I don't know what can change in a rematch. When a fighter is afraid, as Buffalo showed, that doesn't change in the rematch. That fear is still there. You get the same results in the second leg and the fans go home unhappy.

Turki Alalashikh should have pitted Beterbiev against David Benavidez, Joshua Buatsi or David Morrell instead of setting up a rematch with Bivol. Dmitri should have earned the rematch by going through one or two of those fighters instead of being given it after the loss.

The scores were 116-112, 115-113 for Beterbiev and 114-114. Some boxing fans thought 116-112 was too wide, but it reflected how Buffalo couldn't hang on and fight. He used a punch and kick style that showed he was unwilling to fight. Unsurprisingly, Buffalo's punches lacked power because his mind was focused on escape. In other words, Buffalo was just spoiling.

Sixty days to change

Dmitri's fans believed he had done enough to deserve the win, but it was obvious to everyone else that Beterbiev had dominated the last six rounds, striking fear into him. Beterbiev exposed Bivol's lack of courage under fire. We already saw Buffalo look scared when Lyndon Arthur hurt him in the eighth round on December 23, 2023.

“I have one more chance and (Turki Alalshikh) said about that date the day after the fight. He wanted a rematch on that date. He asked me, he asked Beterbiev, who said yes, and from that day I have it in my head that I will have this chance again,” Dmitry Bivol told Fighthype for getting another chance to fight Artur Beterbiev.

“Of course I have to do something different and I know what I'm going to add, I know what I'm going to change a little bit.”

The Hare and the Wolf

Turki gave Buffalo another chance, but it won't help him unless he fights with more heart and stops being the cowardly rabbit he was last time. Beterbiev chased him like a wolf in the ring for the last half of the fight and it looked like Bivol had given up. He was just hoping to win an ugly decision.