Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) and Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) met in London on April 15 to formally announce their highly anticipated fight in Saudi Arabia on June 1. Both fighters spoke about their gratitude regarding this fight and made it clear they are here for the undisputed crown at light heavyweight.
Following on from the light heavyweight face-off, we finally got the Matchroom 5v5 Queensberry reveal.
Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev Press Conference
Dmitry Bivol
“[It’s] a great fight not only for me, but for boxing fans,” said Bivol.
“Saudi Arabia will make this fight and thank you for this. When I signed a contract to be a pro boxer, I had a goal to be undisputed champion.”
He continued: “I’m happy I have a fight on June 1 for all of the belts.”
“Everyone, when I’m in training camp, I think the opponent is the most dangerous in the world, this helps me focus in my camp.”
Speaking on his opponent, Bivol said: “Of course he is dangerous…. It makes me more excited to fight this guy because I love challenges, I love to be tested and it’s a huge test for me.”
Artur Beterbiev
The WBC, WBO and IBF champion had a steely look in his eye and simply said: “I’m happy to be here, it’s not the first time… I see another belt…. I’m collecting belts and I need one more.”
Matchroom vs. Queensberry
Following the palpable excitement regarding the Beterbiev vs. Bivol fight, we finally got our 5v5 reveal for the undercard.
In the first announcement, Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) will take on Filip Hrgović (17-0, 14 KOs) in a fascinating heavyweight match-up, which is a must-win for both if they want to be in the mix for a world championship shot.
In the second bout announced, Raymond Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs) will clash with Nick Ball (19-0-1, 11 KOs) in a mouthwatering featherweight clash for the WBA strap, held by Ford.
In the next fight, we will see the Queensberry captain Hamzah Sheeraz (19-0, 15 KOs) take on Austin Williams (16-0, 11 KOs) in a clash of unbeaten middleweights in what could be the fight of the night.
In an intriguing light heavyweight clash, we will see Craig Richards (18-3-1, 11 KOs) clash with Willy Hutchinson (17-1, 13 KOs).
The extra fight on the card will feature Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) against the Matchroom captain Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) in a fight that will have everyone on the edge of their seat for as long as it lasts.
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