It’s officially fight week for the upcoming light-heavyweight showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, who will battle for undisputed status this Saturday in Riyadh. Beterbiev, who boasts a 100% knockout percentage, acknowledges Bivol’s class and tells Sky Sports he is not specifically aiming for a stoppage but is aware he can send anyone away if he lands.

“If I land, everyone can be knocked out,” he said, before adding: “At the same time, we are not thinking about a knockout, that is not the most important thing in our team.”

Beterbiev would go on to say that he has prepared well for this clash with Bivol, saying that this is not the kind of fight that can be won with brute force alone, so he knows he will have to prepare with multiple game plans if the fight evolves.

“It’s not good to prepare for a fight with one scenario. You have to be smarter.”

While Beterbiev may be a ruthless and intimidating puncher, he also admits that building a fight by talking trash isn’t his style. However, that doesn’t detract from the action in the ring, as Beterbiev says fans can expect a good fight from the opening round.