Beterbiev-Bivol: 'Unquestionably, the best fight in boxing'
Light heavyweights and their teams meet media ahead of long-awaited showdown for the undisputed world championship
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Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, the two best light heavyweights in the world over the past few years, came face to face again on Wednesday in London for a news conference ahead of their rescheduled and long-awaited showdown for 175-pound supremacy.
Neither is a man of many words but a fight like this does not need much hype. They are both undefeated. They each boast impressive resumes. They fight in contrasting styles. And between them they hold all the major titles.
Calling Bivol “a master technician” and Beterbiev “a machine,” Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, Bivol’s promoter, said what has almost universally been said about the fight since it was made.
“Unquestionably, the best fight in boxing,” Hearn said during the news conference. “And it is a fight that any fight fan, hard core or casual, will acknowledge as two generational greats, the two best light heavyweights in the world fighting for every single belt. I hope that casual fans around the world can understand the importance of this fight because this is a fight, for me, that can only be an all-time classic.
“You have two immovable forces meeting for the undisputed light heavyweight world championship.”
Beterbiev, the lineal champion, holds the WBC, WBO and IBF straps. Bivol holds the WBA title. When they meet in the “IV Crown Showdown” on Oct. 12 (ESPN+ in the U.S., DAZN PPV around the world) at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh Saudi Arabia in the kickoff event of the next Riyadh Season festival, the winner will become the first undisputed light heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
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