Here's an interesting article written shortly after the first fight. This is why I favor Beterbiev to win the rematch regardless of whether he's able to get the finish.
“Beterbiev’s heavy hands aren’t just good for dropping his foes, they reliably land the most damaging punch in any given round, often helping him win those rounds. What I missed by reducing the fight to boxer vs. puncher was that the puncher was landing the most effective shots, drawing the more significant reactions even with less clean punches, despite the knockout remaining no closer than a dot on the horizon.”
“I’m not sure that Bivol could have done anything more, while Beterbiev’s shortcomings were clear. Bivol’s lower output, especially in the championship rounds, can certainly be criticized. But much of that period required him to use every ounce of his energy just to survive. He may have been hurt, or too exhausted to throw punches, and neither of those problems seems especially fixable in light of the massive punches he’d been subject to for the previous nine rounds. Opening up more in those rounds might have even gotten him knocked out by the onrushing Beterbiev.”
“Bivol produced arguably the finest performance of his career and still could not pull away on the scorecards. Peak against peak, Beterbiev seems like the better fighter, this nightmarish knockout machine who can still box on equal terms with the best available opponents.”
How expectations of Beterbiev-Bivol muddied the perception of the action
