The undisputed fight for all the light-heavyweight titles between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol has been postponed to October 12. The unified super-lightweight champion Beterbiev had to pull out of the fight which was initially supposed to take place on June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, due to a ruptured meniscus he suffered in training camp. Nonetheless, the June 1st Riyadh season event went on as planned with Bivol facing Malik Zinad instead. The Libyan boxer couldn’t throw a wrench into Bivol’s road-to-undisputed plans, eventually getting stopped in the sixth round.

Meanwhile, Beterbiev should be recovering from his knee surgery. His last win came against Callum Smith in January of this year. However, thanks to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, the audience won’t be starved of a thrilling matchup between the two elite boxers. As anticipation builds, Oscar De La Hoya‘s pick for the ‘Greatest Fighter’ of today, Shakur Stevenson, has given his prediction for the upcoming highly anticipated light-heavyweight bout.

Footwork is the key according to Shakur Stevenson

The WBC lightweight champion responded to a fan who was looking forward to one of the “best fights” of this year between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. “I’m looking to go big on Beterbiev. Even though Bivol is top tier too I think Beterbiev takes this fight. Either way, it’s gonna be one of the best fights we’ve seen in years,” the user noted on X.

Responding to the post, Stevenson stated that he is instead betting on Dmitry Bivol to win the contest. ‘Sugar’ claims that Bivol’s elite footwork will help him to secure the victory against Beterbiev.“I got Bivol I think his age footwork gone win him the fight,” Stevenson wrote.

Beterbiev, despite being 39 years old, is currently the only world champion in boxing with a 100% knockout rate. Meanwhile, Dmitry Bivol, being comparatively younger at 33, is also an elite boxer with a great jab, superb ring IQ, and impeccable footwork. Furthermore, Bivol has one of the pound-for-pound kings of boxing, Canelo Alvarez, in his win column. There is a strong case to be made for them both when it comes to their October 12 clash. Nevertheless, it would be a great clash between two boxers with distinct styles.

On a different note, you might be wondering why Oscar De La Hoya considers Shakur Stevenson one of the greatest fighters in modern boxing, even though he didn’t do well in his last two performances against Artem Harutyunyan and Edwin De Los Santos.

‘The greatest fighter’ just needs confidence

Stevenson has recently partnered with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing after spending a month as a free agent, following the completion of his contract with Top Rank. Multiple promoters were eager to secure his signature and have him fight under their banner, with De La Hoya especially keen on signing the talented lightweight boxer.

Heaping praise on Stevenson, De La Hoya stated in an interview with Shannon Sharpe, “I’ll give you a perfect example of a young fighter right now in that position. Shakur Stevenson, the greatest fighter I’ve ever seen… [Shakur has] beautiful style, great technique—has the punching power, has the chin.” However, the six-division champion believed that Shakur lacked one crucial quality that could make him a PPV star—“confidence”.

The head of Golden Boy Promotions believed that “the greatest fighter” he has ever laid eyes on lacks self-belief, reflected in his unwillingness to come out of his defensive shell and throw punches. His gun-shy performances are, as a result, translating to poor PPV buys, according to Oscar De La Hoya.

Nevertheless, who do you have winning the contest between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol? Moreover, do you think Shakur Stevenson is the best fighter among the current generation of boxers? Let us know in the comment section below.