BETERBIEV-BIVOL, EASTERN BLOC FIGHTERS, SAUDI ARABIA || FIGHTHYPE.COM

Every Thursday here at FightHype, boxing fans gather around my bulbous, bulging sack in anticipation of an Ol’ Faithful money shot of gooey, salty truth. This Thursday is no different. So, put your goggles on and cinch up your plastic poncho, here it comes. This week, we have comments/questions regarding Beterbiev-Bivol, Eastern Bloc fighters, Saudi Arabia.

Beterbiev-Bivol and What’s Up With Eastern Bloc Boxers

Hey Magno.

I gather from what you’ve written recently that you didn’t enjoy the Beterbiev-Bivol fight. I, too, was a little puzzled by how many people were saying that this was a great fight. It wasn’t. These people are clearly wrong. Either they got brainwashed by the commentator rhetoric telling them how great it was or they’re fairly new fans who haven’t really been exposed to truly great fights. 

My question to you is about both fighters. What do you think kept them from pushing themselves more and trying to separate themselves from the other more? It seemed like both were just fine going along with their comfortable game, even though they had to know the fight was close. 

Also, how do you see the rematch going?

– T from Pittsburgh

Hey T.

This is going to be a wildly unpopular point to make– especially considering how many in the media have such fawning adulation for Eastern Bloc fighters– but I’ve never been shy about shaking people up. For the most part, Eastern Bloc boxers make for tremendous soldiers, but very poor generals. This means that they are very much like robots. They perform as they are trained and are so programmed to follow orders that they just can’t vary from what their training told them to be. They don’t improvise well…they don’t take risks…they don’t push beyond what they feel they can reasonably do. What they do works well against most opposition and exposes an opponent’s lack of conditioning/training/focus. But they struggle when it comes to pushing themselves to that extreme level of accomplishment against the truly elite because, well, as a fighter, you’re going to have to, at least sometimes, take chances and risk extending beyond your reach. This is the reason neither Bivol nor Beterbiev ever stepped things up to the next level last Saturday. It’s why Gennadiy Golovkin was never able to separate himself from Canelo Alvarez. It’s not for lack of ability, it’s just the way their brains have been hardwired. On the flip side, Eastern Bloc Oleksandr Usyk’s ability to improvise and think on his feet is what makes him the presence he is today and very much an outlier among his group.

As for the Bivol-Beterbiev rematch, I see it going pretty much as the first one did. With tweaks and a little more urgency, I see a path for both to do better this time around. Bivol could move and stick more. Beterbiev could be more aggressive earlier. But will they do it? That’s the question. I wouldn’t rule out a Bivol win this time around to necessitate a Saudi-friendly part 3. 

The Saudi Presence

Hey Paul.

Great articles last week and beyond on the sport washing by the Saudis. They started with pro golf and now their sights seem to be set on boxing. I want to share a little story if I may. I live in Florida. In 2001 I owned a home close to a major International University. The neighborhood was quiet transit as students would rent homes, come and go etc. Three doors down from my house, three 30-something year old Middle-eastern men rented a home. This was not unusual as the university has a large middle eastern presence. These guys were a bit older but again, didn’t really stand out. They kept to themselves but if you were to drive by and they were outside they would always smile and wave. I did notice that just prior to 9/11 they had moved out. After that terrible day, the FBI knocked on mine and everyone else’s doors. Yes, they were 3 of the 19 terrorist who flew the planes into the towers. They were in my neighborhood training at flight safety school. To be clear, I’m not saying every Saudi is a terrorist, but these 3 were (15 of the 19 9/11 terrorists were Saudi nationals). I ‘m afraid what is happening to boxing and PGA  is reflective of the” short term memory loss” we seem to have. When I saw the Saudi national anthem being played first during the recent Joshua /DDD event with “his excellency” standing in the middle of the ring, I couldn’t help but remember those three neighbors of mine all those years ago, standing in their driveway, smiling and waving to me as I passed them by.

– John

Hey John.

I do find it somewhat odd and a little off-putting how some of these rah-rah “USA First” American fight fans are celebrating the Saudis so enthusiastically. These same flag-waving “patriots” went ape shit when I joked about some Turki Alalshikh event being the “Biggest Saudi hit since 9/11.” 

I just think there’s a crazy amount of convenient idiocy when it comes to the Saudi efforts in boxing and where this is all headed. It’s not like there isn’t a history of where they go with sports they begin to buy up. With so much of the boxing media bought off and already working within Saudi “partnerships” and the rest either scared of crossing the Saudis or looking to get paid by them, there’s a lot of work being put into NOT putting things into proper perspective. And the fans, as a result, also lose proper perspective. 

I suppose this will just have to be one of those lessons the sport learns the hard way.

But, as I’ve said before, it’s scary just how easy it was to step into the sport and immediately have so many people bowing, scraping, and kissing their rings.  

Got a question (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best gets included in the weekly mailbag segment right here at FightHype. Send your stuff here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.