WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, Malik Zinad, has a chance to make a name for himself even though he failed this Saturday night in their 5 vs 5 event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Libyan native Zinad (22-0, 16 KOs) is not well known, and this is his chance to show the fans his talent when he takes on the undefeated Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs). If Zinad loses but looks good, it’s a win-win situation for her.
Bivol was supposed to fight IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in the main event, but he injured his knee and was replaced by Zinad.
Boxing expert Chris Algieri doesn’t think Bivol ignores Zinad because that’s not the type of person he is. However, Zinad will be a tough opponent for him because she is talented and in her 30s.
Comfort?
Bivol has looked tired and worn out for the past two weeks. It’s not clear whether that’s due to difficulty making weight or signs of aging. Either way, Bivol doesn’t look good, and if he’s not 100% this fight, he might lose.
“Zinad is getting his chance now. It’s a tough opportunity, don’t get me wrong. “Bivol is always Bivol, but it’s a banana leaf type of fight,” said Paulie Malignaggi on Probox TV about Dmitry Bivol’s title defense against Malik Zinad this Saturday night.
It’s the perfect situation for Zinad to come out, with no expectations or pressure to try and upset Bivol who looks tired.
He would like to see Zinad fight better opposition while he works to prepare him for this season. He hasn’t fought well-known opponents, and it may be too big a jump in Zinad’s competition.
Zinad’s last five opponents:
Jerome Pampellone
Mickael Diallo
Ezequiel Maderna
Islam Teffahi
Almir Skrijelj
“I think Bivol is smarter than that, not just because of who he is and what he has done in his career. He is a tough guy. He will do the job no matter what,” said boxing expert Chris Algieri. “He spent all that time in the ring. That’s not his fault. I think he is still hungry.”
Bivol didn’t look so good in his last fight against Lyndon Arthur. He felt hurt in that fight when he got a little careless. If he does that to Zinad, he might get kicked out because he can punch.
“He has renewed hunger in him because of this unemployment he had. “He had Arthur’s fight, that was his last fight,” said Algieri.
“That was busy, get back to fighting. This fight feels like that, too, unless you look beyond it to see who Zinad really is. Listen, Zinad is 30 years old. 6’1”, 22-0, 16 knockouts. All those numbers check.
“This is Zinad’s chance, and I’m sure she understands what it is. This is a big forum. This is something he has been working on for a long time. You had plenty of time to prepare for this. Yes, this is a very banana peel, trap war. It’s a very tough fight,” said Algieri.
“It’s an unbeaten situation for Zinad because Zinad is good enough to look good in this fight no matter what,” said Malignaggi. “Because of Bivol’s attitude, he is not the kind of guy who doesn’t care about boys.
“Even if Zinad was the type of guy who would make someone angry, I don’t think Bivol is the guy who angered him.”
“Even if he pushes Bivol, this is opening the door for him 100%,” Algieri said about Zinad.
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