Undisputed title, history at stake as Beterbiev, Bivol is official
June 1 winner will be first 175-pound champion of four-belt era, first to fully unify division since Roy Jones Jr. 25 years ago
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Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol both won light heavyweight world titles in 2017 and have dominated one opponent after another since, resulting in Beterbiev unifying three of the four belts, Bivol upsetting Canelo Alvarez, and both becoming entrenched in the top 10 pound-for-pound rankings.
And now, finally, seven years after they won 175-pound belts they will meet for division supremacy and for the undisputed title in a long-expected fight on June 1 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They came face to face at a news conference in London on Monday to announce the fight as well as the rest of a loaded card, which will be the “5 vs. 5” bouts pitting fighters from Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions stable against fighters from Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing roster.
The Beterbiev-Bivol winner will become the first undisputed light heavyweight champion of the four-belt era and the first in the division in 25 years — since Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. shut out Reggie Johnson (120-106 on all three scorecards) to unify the belts in the three-belt era in 1999.
In the United States, the fight will stream as a one-fight show on ESPN+, Beterbiev promoter Top Rank announced. The “5 vs. 5” undercard bouts will be available via DAZN PPV in the U.S., sources told Fight Freaks Unite. Beterbiev-Bivol and the “5 vs. 5” bouts will be on DAZN or DAZN PPV (depending on the country) around the rest of the world with the card also airing via TNT Sports Box Office pay-per-view in the United Kingdom, the sources said.
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Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs), 39, a two-time Russian Olympian, who is now a Canadian citizen and has lived in Montreal throughout his professional career, and Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs), 33, of Russia, have wanted to fight each other years, but it was not until Saudi Arabian money began to pour into boxing last year that it became financially doable. Turki Alalshikh, a big boxing fan and the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, which doles out millions of dollars to bring major sports and entertainment events to the country, had the bout on his short list of fights he wanted to see.
When Beterbiev and Bivol came face to face at a gala dinner Alalshikh hosted the night before the Tyson Fury-Ngannou heavyweight fight in October — and a video clip of it went viral — it was only a matter of time until the fight was made.
But first they each had to win interim bouts and did so with ease. Bivol made his 11th title defense by shutout decision of Lyndon Arthur in Riyadh on Dec. 23 and Beterbiev made his eighth defense via one-sided seventh-round knockout of WBC mandatory challenger Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada.
“Everybody who loves boxing, they ask me, ‘When are you going to fight Beterbiev? Who’s going to make this fight,’” Bivol said at the news conference. “And Saudi Arabia made this fight. Of course, I am a happy. When I signed a contract to be a pro boxer, I had a goal to become undisputed champion. Everything that I have gone through has been for that. I did it to achieve my goal, even the fight against Canelo. It was my ticket for big fights and now I’m happy that I will have this fight on June 1 for all of the belts.”
Beterbiev, a man of few words, added, “I see another belt. I’m collecting belts, and I need one more.”
Asked why it took all these years to make the match, Beterbiev said, “I don’t know why. He knows better. Ask him.”
Bivol did not mention a reason, but it came down to finding somebody willing to bankroll a supreme fight, and that’s where Alalshikh came into the picture.
“This is a fight we’ve been waiting for for a long time, probably for the last two years,” said Vadim Kornilov, Bivol’s manager. “Dmitry has been asking for the undisputed fight and finally there’s somebody that came through and brought everyone together and made this happen.”
It is one of the most attractive fights that could be made in boxing, a 50-50 sort of showdown that matches Beterbiev’s massive punching power with Bivol’s A+ skills.
“The best fight in boxing in my opinion,” said Hearn, who has co-promoted Bivol for several years. “It’s one of the purest matchups in the sport. I didn’t see this fight happening without an intervention from somebody. His Excellency (Alalshikh) made it happen.
“These are two tremendous fighters, two world champions. In every division we should look to find an undisputed champion. It tells you who the very best is. Artur Beterbiev is a wrecking machine but this guy (Bivol) I believe is pound-for-pound the top fighter potentially in the sport. When he beat Canelo Alvarez, who was the clear pound-for-pound No. 1 in the sport (at the time in 2022), I don’t think he actually got the credit he deserved, and he did with ease. As tough as this fight is, don’t be amazed to see him make this look easy on June 1.”
Top Rank president Todd duBoef naturally is backing his man in the fight.
“I’ve always been a fan of destruction and this guy is destruction,” duBoef said of Beterbiev, the only active champion with a perfect knockout percentage. “Every time you turn on the television, my phone would ring and friends from all over the world would call me and say, ‘Who is this monster?’ And, I think he gets better with each fight.
“You look at his body of work and nobody lasts 12 rounds. That’s why (I believe he will win). I don’t have to say anything.”
Both fighters have faced several top opponents but this bout comes with more at stake considering how highly regarded both men are and because the undisputed title is at stake.
“We’ll see (if this is the biggest challenge),” Beterbiev said. “I’m not thinking about it. I’m preparing for it. I will prepare for this fight and try to be at 100 percent.”
Said Bivol: “For every training camp, I think my opponent is the most dangerous opponent in the world. This helps me to be focused and serious in my training camp. Of course, he’s one of my most dangerous opponents. You see his record and his fights. He is powerful. It makes me more excited to fight against this guy because I love challenges. I love to be tested and this fight is a huge test for me.
“I have good skills. I just believe in my skills. I have been in boxing for 28 years. I’ve been in boxing ever since I can remember. I love this sport, and I think my experience will help me. And my mentality, skills, and camp. I just believe I can be undisputed.”
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Beterbiev-Bivol photos: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
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Beterbiev by vicious KO. And Bivol knows it. Team Bivol has never wanted this fight. But a humbling year off and a massive bag from his Excellency, has finally convinced the always reluctant Bivol. Can't wait!
The only way Betterbiev wins is if he can knock Bivol out , Bivol just beat Canelo Alvarez easily on points , and never got knocked out , Bivol is the better boxer and points scorer and will win the fight if he can avoid being knocked out , Betterbiev has never won on points in his life and won't start with Dimitry Bivol