Promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that the undisputed championship match between WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and IBF/WBC/WBO champ Artur Beterbiev is now set for June 1st on his 5-vs-5 card in Saudi Arabia.
The Undisputed Title Fight
After seven long years, the unbeaten 175-lb champions Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) and Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) will finally meet to battle for the undisputed championship.
The two fighters have been orbiting each other without fighting, and the Saudis have stepped in to make this fight happen. Who knows what would happen if not for them to make it worthwhile to get the match done? We know that Beterbiev has wanted the fight all these years, but some question whether Bivol has felt the same way.
“Matchroom and Queensberry. We signed Beterbiev and Bivol, so now we’ve got to put the 5-vs-5 together,” said Eddie Hearn to LalosBoxing, confirming that IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev will face WBA champ Dmitry Bivol on June 1st in Saudi Arabia.
“They’ll be announced on Joshua and Ngannou fight week [in March],” said Hearn about his British match-up for the June 1st card.
Saudi Arabia as the Stage
Of all the fights the Saudis have made lately, Bivol vs. Beterbiev stands out as a true quality fight involving two talented fighters at the top of their game.
There’s nothing wrong with the Saudis matching the novice Francis Ngannou against the aging British heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to make it a celebrity-esque atmosphere for their events, but it’s difficult to make those matches seriously.
With Beterbiev and Bivol fighting, that’s a real match-up, not the celebrity stuff the Saudis focus on. Hopefully, neither of the champions will suffer a freak accident with a cut or some other injury that causes their fight to take place.
It will be interesting to see which of the two fighters gets the top billing in the Beterbiev vs. Bivol clash. Will it be Hearn’s fighter, Bivol, or the Top Rank-promoted Beterbiev, who has more titles and a fan-friendly style?
Supporting Bouts and Announcement Timing
The Bivol-Beterbiev clash will be on the same card as the 5-vs-5 British event, which will involve Hearn’s Matchroom fighters facing Queensberry stable boxers. Hearn says they’ll wait until the week of the Joshua-Ngannou clash next month in March to name the British fighters involved in the five vs. five card.
