We have finally arrived at the moment boxing fans have been waiting for. Earlier today, the undisputed light heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol was formally announced as part of a “5 vs 5” between Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions. The important part is that all the belts will be on the line at light heavyweight, contrary to the WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman saying last year that the WBC wouldn’t sanction such a fight with Bivol based on their position with Russia and the war on Ukraine . The politics were ironed out, and now we have one of the year’s most anticipated fights.
Here are the details from a press release sent out earlier today.
(This battle of 175-pound titans will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S. as a special one-fight broadcast)
“This a dream matchup between two of the best light heavyweights we’ve ever seen,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “The beautiful city of Riyadh will play host to this legacy-defining fight. Thank you to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh for his vision and determination in bringing boxing fans the fights they want to see.”
Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) is boxing’s only current world champion with a 100 percent knockout ratio, a human wrecking ball who entered the pro ranks in 2013 following Olympic berths in 2008 and 2012. Beterbiev wasted little time establishing his pro credentials, knocking out former world champion Tavoris Cloud in his sixth fight and stopping Enrico Koelling in his 12th outing to capture the IBF world title. Beterbiev picked up the WBC strap with a 10th-round TKO over Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2019 and added the WBO title in June 2022 with a second-round TKO of Joe Smith Jr. He made his eighth title defense on January 13 in Quebec City, Canada, knocking out former super middleweight world champion Callum Smith in seven rounds.
Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) is a 10-year pro with 11 consecutive world title defenses, tied for third most in light heavyweight history. A decorated amateur who tallied more than 250 victories, he picked up his first regional title in his fourth pro fight. Following two defenses of the WBA interim title, Bivol was elevated to full champion in 2017 and began his reign of dominance. He notched wins over Jean Pascal, Joe Smith Jr., and Sullivan Barrera, among others, before a career-defining triumph that vaulted him up the pound-for-pound rankings. In May 2022, Bivol neutralized living legend Canelo Alvarez en route to a unanimous decision win. Six months later, he bested former super middleweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez. Last December, Bivol fought on the historic “Day of Reckoning” card in Riyadh, shutting out British challenger Lyndon Arthur.
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