By Dan Ambrose: The March 28 fight between IBF/WBC light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Fanlong Meng is still on for that date despite the COVID-19 virus caused cancellations and postponements of fight cards worldwide. Beterbiev-Meng will be shown on ESPN. The undercard has a couple of interesting fights between the following:
- Oscar Rivas vs. Devin Vargas – heavyweights
- Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Issah Samir – middleweight
- Aidos Yerbossynuly vs. Tim Cronin – super middleweight
It would be a shame if this card winds up getting postponed as well. Beterbiev can’t afford to have his career brought to a standstill for months or who knows how long while he waits for the all-clear sign to be allowed to return to the ring. If the COVID-19 virus continues to be a threat, Beterbiev might have to wait a long time to get his mandatory defense out of the way against Fanlong Meng.
There’s too much to gain for Beterbiev to have this fight to be delayed for an extended period of time. Beterbiev is 34, and if he has to wait 8 to 12 months before he can fight again, he’ll be missing out on an important period of his career.
“The decision belongs to the city of Quebec,” said promoter Yvon Michel to ESPN.com on the Beterbiev vs. Meng card. “We believe we have taken the proper means to hold a safe event at the Videotron Center on March 28. For the moment, the event is on. We are closely monitoring further developments, and we will adapt accordingly.”
Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) recently won the WBC title in stopping champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in the 10th round last October in an exciting fight. That was by far the biggest win of the two-time Russian Olympian Beterbiev’s seven-year pro career. Beterbiev wants to get the big unification fights, and he was hoping to face WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev until he was beaten by Canelo Alvarez last November. There was a brief bit of hope from boxing fans that Canelo would do the courageous thing by taking on Beterbiev, but opted to vacate and move down to 168.
Heavyweight Oscar Rivas (26-1, 18 KOs) has an important 10 round fight against Devin Vargas (22-6, 9 KOs) on the card. Rivas, 32, is ranked #3 with the World Boxing Council, and he needs a victory to move him closer to the top spot. He recently lost a close 12 round decision to Dillian Whyte in a WBC title eliminator last July in London. Had Rivas won that fight, he’d be on the doorstep of a title shot against WBC champion Tyson Fury in 2021. Rivas can’t afford to be out of action for a prolonged period of time.
The NBA has already canceled their seasons, which is a huge loss for players and fans.