Former WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol has officially fought two of the biggest names in boxing—Canelo Alvarez and Artur Beterbiev. Now, the Russian technician has answered the question many have been asking since last Saturday night’s mega event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Who hits harder—Canelo or Beterbiev? 

The 33-year-old took on ‘Cinnamon’ back in April 2022, emerging victorious via unanimous decision after 12 rounds of battle. However, surprisingly, he could not produce the same results last weekend, as he lost the fight to Beterbiev via a majority decision, which is now shrouded in controversy. 

Despite looking like the slightly better fighter in the 12-round skirmish, Bivol was handed his first career loss, as he continues to ask for a rematch to avenge his loss. Regardless, while appearing in an interview with Box Nation, Bivol expressed his thoughts about Beterbiev’s power.

The Kyrgyzstan-born boxer said, “He has very strong punches. [I felt] his right hand even through my left. My thumb is swollen because I was holding it on my head and he was beating on my hand.” Dmitry Bivol added that because of the repeated blows from Beterbiev, who had entered the fight with a perfect knockout record, it felt as if Bivol’s guard was pushed inside his head. 

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After this statement became public, former super middleweight and light heavyweight champion Andre Ward reacted by suggesting Bivol should not indulge these details if he wants a rematch. “You should never concede this openly when there is potential for a rematch. Keep that to yourself! Too much talking,” he wrote on X. 

However, things didn’t end there, as Bivol went on to compare Beterbiev’s power with Canelo Alvarez. While appearing in another interview with Fight Hub TV, Bivol told Marcos Villegas, “I could compare [it] with Canelo. He put all his energy, all his power [into] a single punch. [So,] sometimes he’s harder than Beterbiev.”

He explained that, unlike Canelo, Artur Beterbiev doesn’t wind up his punches, rather he likes to fight in the pocket. However, when there are combinations or just the volume of punches is increased in the comparison, Beterbiev is the more powerful puncher. “Beterbiev, every punch will be [harder than] Canelo. Both of them are strong, but Beterbiev is bigger, and he’s born strong,” Bivol said. 

However, these weren’t the only times Bivol commented on Beterbiev’s power. 

Dmitry Bivol says Artur Beterbiev is powerful, but he can handle it

Despite the controversy surrounding his loss to Beterbiev, Bivol decided to keep things real. Speaking to iFL TV right after the fight came to a close, Bivol acknowledged that Beterbiev’s power was significant, highlighting the bruises he had suffered after the action-packed 12 rounds. 

“It’s hard, but not as [hard] as people are describing. Yeah, it’s hard, you see my eye. He landed a lot of punches on my left hand, through my hand. You see the bruises,” Bivol said. However, the Russian boxer remained adamant about his own abilities, stating, “He [hits] hard but we can handle these hard punches.”

That said, the next best thing for Dmitry Bivol would be to pursue a rematch with Artur Beterbiev to avenge his loss. However, the final word on the matter will only be revealed in the coming days, as Beterbiev contemplates other options. Regardless, do you think Beterbiev could beat Canelo?