Bektemir Melikuziev vs Pierre Dibombe Preview April 20th, 2024
Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan takes on France’s unbeaten Pierre Dibombe in a 10-round super middleweight bout this Saturday, April 20th. The fight from Brooklyn, New York, can be seen live on DAZN pay-per-view in most nations on the undercard of the Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia battle. Melikuziev last boxed in October when 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. Dibombe was last in action in June when he halted Derrick Findley in the fourth round.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Melikuziev vs Dibombe Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Pierre Dubombe +550
- Bektemir Melikuziev -900
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 13-1 with 10 Ko’s with his lone loss coming to Rosado, which he has since avenged. 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 56 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 with a current knockout ratio of 76.9 per cent. Four of his last five victories have come by stoppage and he now has five 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 Dibombe, he’s 32 years old and enters the contest with a near-perfect mark of 22-0-1 with 12 Ko’s. He made his pro debut in 2014 after an amateur career which also saw him compete in the World Series of Boxing and has boxed 122 rounds since. His power is just above average as 54.5 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage, including his last three and five of his past six. Dibombe is the same height as Melikuziev but unfortunately has an unlisted reach. In addition, he’s also campaigned as a light heavyweight during his pro career.
The only fight Dibombe hasn’t earned a win in came in 2014 when he battled to a six-round draw with Michael Diallo. He won the vacant French Light-Heavyweight Title in 2017 with a 10-round unanimous nod over Gabriel Lecrosnier and added the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Light-Heavyweight belt the next year via a 12-round unanimous decision over Elio Heraldo Trosch and then won the European Light-Heavyweight Crown in 2019 with a 12-round unanimous decision over Serhiy Demchenko. Dibombe has fought mainly domestic and European level competition and has boxed just twice outside of France.
Prediction…
Melikuziev has a lot of power in his arsenal and likes to apply as much pressure as possible while continuously coming forward. Dibombe is a solid pro with a fine chin and enough power to cause some damage of his own but I believe Melikuziev will eventually break him down due to his relentlessness.
Melikuziev’s power and natural aggression should be the difference.
Play: Melikuziev -900 @ BetOnline.ag
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Bektemir Melikuziev betting • Pierre Dibombe betting