October 11, (THEWILL) – Two undefeated light-heavyweight boxing champions prepare to meet in Riyadh this Saturday, with history beckoning for the winner Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev will compete to become the first boxer to hold all four major belts in their division simultaneously.
WBA champion, Bivol, enters the contest with a perfect 23-0 record, including 12 knockouts. The Kyrgyzstan-born fighter, who now resides in California, faces perhaps his most formidable challenge yet. His opponent, Russian-born Canadian Beterbiev, holds the WBC, IBF, and WBO titles, boasting an impressive 20-0 record with every victory coming via knockout or stoppage.
The Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia will hosts monumental clash, which had been rescheduled from June 2023 following a knee injury to Montreal-based Beterbiev. The winner will create boxing history, as no fighter has unified all four major belts in the light-heavyweight division. The last undisputed champion was Roy Jones Jr, who collected the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles in 1999.
Promoter Eddie Hearn describes the bout as a genuine “50-50” contest, emphasising that Bivol represents the only credible threat to Beterbiev’s dominance. The match features two former Russian amateur teammates, with Bivol aged 33 and Beterbiev 39, both bringing extensive experience to the ring.
The event marks another significant moment for boxing in Saudi Arabia, featuring IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia defending his title against British challenger Jack Massey. Additionally, the card includes a historic moment as Skye Nicolson and Raven Chapman contest the first women’s world title fight held in the country.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
