Bektemir Melikuziev vs David Stevens Preview November 2nd 2024
Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan takes on David Stevens of Reading, Pennsylvania in a 10-round WBA Super Middleweight Elimination bout this Saturday, November, 2nd. The fight from Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen live on DAZN in most nations. Melikuziev last boxed in April when he beat Pierre Hubert Dibombe by an eight-round technical unanimous decision. In his previous bout he stopped Alantez Fox in the fourth round to retain his WBA Inter-Continental Super Middleweight Title. He won the vacant belt six months earlier with a 10-round unanimous decision over Gabriel Rosado in a rematch. Rosado won their first meeting in 2021 by a sensational third-round knockout for the vacant WBO International Super Middleweight Crown. Stevens was last in action in June when he halted Sergio Nahuel Lopez in just 125 seconds.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Melikuziev vs Stevens Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- David Stevens +750
- Bektemir Melikuziev -1400
My Pick
The 28-year-old Melikuziev, who now fights out of Indio, California, is a southpaw who enters the ring with an impressive record of 14-1 with 10 Ko’s with his lone loss coming to Gabriel Rosado by third-round KO, which he has since avenged with a 10-round unanimous decison. He stands just over 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 70.5-inch reach, made his pro debut in 2019 and has fought just 64 rounds since.
Melikuziev enjoyed a fine amateur career and made it to the final of the 2015 AIBA World Championships and to the semifinals in 2017. He also fought in the World Series of Boxing, won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil as a middleweight, won gold at the 2015 and 2017 Asian Championships as a middleweight and light-heavyweight respectively and took gold at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games as a welterweight.
Melikuziev possesses quite a bit of power in his fists as 71.4 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage. Four of his last six victories have come by stoppage and he now has six wins in a row since losing to Rosado. Since turning pro he’s also won the vacant WBO Global Super Middleweight Title and the WBO Inter-Continental Super Middleweight Title. His biggest wins have come against Fox, Rosado, Ulises Sierra, Clay Collard, Vaughn Alexander, Oscar Cortes, Alan Campa, David Zegarra and Sergei Ekimov.
As for Stevens, he’s just 24 years old and enters the contest with a similar mark of 14-1 with 10 Ko’s. He made his pro debut in 2018 as a teenager after a fine amateur career which saw him go 60-8. He was a two-time Junior Olympic Gold Medalist, a Silver Gloves Champion, the Ringside World Champion, the 2017 USA Boxing Youth National Champion, a 2018 Emil Jechev Memorial Tournament gold medalist, a 2018 Youth Continental Championships gold medalist and a 2018 Youth World Championships qualifier.
Stevens has just 46 rounds of pro experience under his belt due to his power, which is also above average as 71.4 per cent of his wins have been by stoppage, including four of his past five. The lone loss on his record came at the hands of Joeshon James, who stopped him in just 172 seconds last October. Stevens measures just over 5-feet-11-inches tall with an unlisted reach for a two-inch edge in height over Melikuziev. His biggest wins have been against Jaime Barboza, Sean Hemphill and Marco Antonio Periban.
Prediction…
Melikuziev is nicknamed the bully as that’s exactly what he does to his opponents in the ring. He applies pressure, lets his hands go and is quite aggressive by always coming forward. He has a good chin even though he got nailed with a perfect KO shot by Gabriel Rosado. Stevens has the better boxing skills and has been stopped before so he’ll need to be able to handle Melikuziev’s tactics. On the bright side, he has enough power of his own to earn some respect. Stevens is taking a step up in class this weekend though and while he has a legitimate shot at winning, I think Melikuziev’s relentlessness will prove to be a bit too much for him.
Melikuziev’s power and natural aggression should be the difference.
Play: Melikuziev -1400 @ BetOnline.ag
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Bektemir Melikuziev betting • David Stevens betting