Beterbiev and Bivol aim to transition from undefeated to undisputed

In Riyadh on Saturday, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will vie for the title of the world’s undisputed light-heavyweight champion, putting their undefeated professional records on the line.

Both are former Russian amateur colleagues and ring veterans.
Both have had flawless professional careers. Bivol, a 33-year-old WBA champion who is domiciled in California and was born in Kyrgyzstan, has a 23-0 record with 12 knockouts.

Beterbiev, 39, is a Canadian-born individual of Russian descent who currently holds the WBC, IBF, and WBO titles in his possession. He has a 20-0 record, all of which have been achieved through knockout or stoppage. The bearded puncher has yet to face an opponent who has managed to outlast him.

This will be the first occasion in which a single individual has held all four main belts in the division. The fight, which was originally scheduled for June at the Kingdom Arena in the Saudi capital, was postponed due to a knee injury sustained by Montreal-based Beterbiev.

The most recent undisputed light-heavyweight champion was Roy Jones Jr., an American who defeated Reggie Johnson in 1999 to unify the WBA, WBC, and IBF championships.

Eddie Hearn, the promoter of Bivol, stated to the BBC, “I cannot envision anything other than a thriller.” “Anything can happen in 50-50 fights, which is precisely what this is.”

“When you engage in a fight with Beterbiev, it is akin to a ticking time bomb; the velocity of the time bomb is contingent upon the opponent.” Dmitry possesses the capacity to significantly slow down that pulse. To what extent can he impede its operation? Twelve rounds are the ‘boom!’ stage.

“Dmitry Bivol is the sole individual capable of surpassing Artur Beterbiev at this time.” No one else. “And he was capable of doing so.”

Frank Warren, Beterbiev’s promoter, has characterized the fight as a “game of thrones.”

Jai Opetaia, the IBF cruiserweight champion from Australia, is scheduled to defend his title against Jack Massey, a British underdog, on the undercard.

For the first time, Saudi Arabia will stage a women’s world title fight when WBC featherweight champion Skye Nicolson of Australia faces Raven Chapman of Britain.

“I feel like we have a responsibility on our hands to put on a great show, and make sure that we’re the first of many,” Nicolson, with a record of 11-0, stated.