Artur Beterbiev was fully committed to the task at hand the first time around.

The message is even clearer ahead of his Feb. 22 RING/undisputed light heavyweight championship rematch with Dmitry Bivol.

“My goal now is to keep my belts,” Beterbiev said during Monday’s launch press conference at Outernet London. “I will do my best that night.”

Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs)—a two-time Russian Olympian now based in Montreal—and Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs)—a Kyrgyzstan-born boxer who lives in Russia and trains in California—will meet again at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The same site hosted their first fight, won by Beterbiev via majority decision to claim The Ring light heavyweight crown. Beterbiev also became the division’s first recognized undisputed champion since Roy Jones more than 20 years earlier.

The win, coupled by defeats to Bivol and then-unbeaten WBA strawweight titlist Thammanoon Niyomtrong (25-1, 9 KOs), has Beterbiev as the sport’s current long-reigning titlist.

He’s held the IBF belt since Nov. 2017 and earned undisputed status the hard way. Wins over Oleksandr Gvozdyk (WBC), Joe Smith Jr. (WBO) and Bivol (WBA) cemented Beterbiev’s place among the sport’s elite.

The Ring’s No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter is now presented with the task to score a repeat win over Bivol, No. 1 at light heavyweight and No. 5 pound-for-pound.

The first win already required Beterbiev to go all twelve rounds, for the first time in his boxing life. Whatever adjustments are made by Bivol ahead of the rematch will have to be countered by the 39-year-old crushing Russian.

“I just need to do better,” acknowledged Beterbiev. “I don’t know if it’s small, medium or big. It just needs to be enough to win [again].”