Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will finally meet to crown an undisputed light heavyweight world champion on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
This fight, which many fans consider to be the “best in boxing”, has been highly anticipated for several years, even if few really believed that it would ever come to fruition.
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Beterbiev was the first to become a true world champion when he knocked out Enrico Kolling to win the IBF crown in 2018.
Bivol held the WBA “regular” belt for a few years, then upgraded to become the true WBA light-heavyweight world champion in 2019.
Shortly after, Beterbiev stopped Oleksandr Gvozdyk to win the WBC title.
In 2022, Bivol won Fighter of the Year by successfully defending his WBA title against Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez, handing Canelo only the second defeat of his legendary career.
The same year, Beterbiev blasted Joe Smith Jr to add the WBO belt to his collection.
Supporters have been keen to see a clash between Bivol and Beterbiev since 2017/2018, with the appetite having grown significantly since they became the division’s top two champions in 2022.
Most recently, both men defended their crowns against leading British contenders.
Beterbiev knocked out Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith, while Bivol outclassed Lyndon Arthur.
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And now, finally, after years of waiting, they have signed on to fight next.
Despite going around in circles for years, the Russians were never able to agree on a fight because they both rightly wanted big money for this career-defining clash .
Today, with the support of HE Turki Alalshikh (president of the Saudi GEA which organizes major events in Riyadh), an agreement has finally been reached.
And it’s an event boxing fans can’t wait for, with one saying: “Potential for fight of the year…love it.”
Another said: “Boxing is finally back. »
While this fan said: “By far the best fight in boxing, two brilliant fighters to be the best light heavyweights of their era. Can’t wait.”
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