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Dmitry Bivol is back Saturday night against Umar Salamov. The current WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol is considered one of the best 175lb fighters on the planet, and is expected to steamroll his Russian counterpart Salamov.
The DAZN bout is a big one in a division in turmoil. Bivol is a massive betting favorite heading into this one, but is that entirely fair given Salamov's stellar 26-1 professional record?
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Let's take a look at what to expect on Saturday night.
Dmitry Bivol vs. Umar Salamov: Preview
The fight with Salamov comes at a weird time in Dmitry Bivol's career. While he's considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, he's currently contending with two other fighters to be seen as the best at 175lbs. As both Joe Smith Jr. and Artur Beterbiev have a share of the light heavyweight crown.
With all that known, the Salamov bout came as a surprise. A disappointing surprise at that, as fans have been salivating at the thought of a Beterbiev/Bivol contest for some time now.
That's not to say Umar Salamov is a bad fighter, he's not. He's technically competent, has a good chin, and a good jab. He's a bit wild at times, and can leave himself open to counters, but he seems to be working on cleaning that up.
However, while Salamov isn't a bad fighter, he's not a world-class one by any means. This is the first time he's stepping up to the championship level, and there's been nothing in his previous 27 contests to suggest that he's going to pull an upset in this one.
Dmitry Bivol vs. Umar Salamov: Prediction
Dmitry Bivol is considered one of the best on the planet, and that didn't happen by mistake. He's a technician by heart, and while he does have 11 knockouts on his record, he doesn't have gamebreaking power by trade. It's also worth noting that he's had trouble scoring knockouts as he's taken steps up in competition.
However, while he's not scoring insane highlight reel knockouts, he's breaking down opponents. His footwork is phenomal, and he has a way of just gliding in and scoring, and then promptly getting out of the pocket to avoid trouble. His quickness and jab have also proved to be an issue for everyone at 175lbs.
On Salamov's end, what he has going for him is that he's a lot bigger than Bivol. Having both the height and reach advantage, Salamov's attributes are similar to Craig Richards, who was Bivol's last opponent. Richards had success with his jab, and Bivol had issues getting in on his larger opponent.
While Salamov has a good jab of his own, he lacks the veteran savvy and ring generalship of Richards. That's not even factoring in the lack of quickness that Richards has in spades over Salamov.
To put it simply, Salamov is massively outgunned heading into his first title opportunity against Bivol.
The Outcome
Dmitry Bivol is going to roll on Saturday night. Salamov may put in a good effort, score a moral victory and see the scorecards. However, he lacks the weapons required to spring the massive upset.
For Bivol, the real challenge isn't Salamov. The challenge is to score either a unification bout with Beterbiev, or the rumored Canelo Alvarez superfight sometime in the next calendar year.
Prediction: Dmitry Bivol via decision
