For the first time in 25 years, an undisputed light heavyweight champion will be crowned Saturday, October 12, as Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol face off for all the gold in a fight that airs on ESPN+ in the U.S. and DAZN around the world.
Beterbiev (20-0) is a four-time amateur gold medalist. The Russian with Canadian citizenship won the IBF light heavyweight title in 2017, the WBC belt in 2019 and the WBO title in 2022. He has a 100 percent knockout-to-win rate.
Bivol (23-0) won the interim WBA light heavyweight title in 2016 and was elevated to the full-time champion. The Russian became a worldwide sensation when he beat Canelo Alvarez in a one-sided affair in 2022. Bivol has since won three straight.
The fight is years in the making. The two were supposed to compete in June, but the bout got moved after Beterbiev suffered a ruptured meniscus in training. Both appear to be slowing down but will be at the top of their game when they finally clash.
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"You know, in all my past fights, I have never revealed these things [his plan for the fight]," Beterbiev said via Eurosport. "Why do I need to tell you these things now?
"Everyone asks this. It is a little secret in our team. We have some different scenarios to do and to prepare for. We are thinking about how it is going to go in the beginning, the middle and the end of the fight."
Bivol, meanwhile, has sized up the fight.
"(Beterbiev) has a good punch, he's strong, he's really strong, he's good in endurance, and he pressures a lot. And, of course, to get used to these things, sparring partners help," Bivol told Fight Hub via Bad Left Hook. "My skills, everybody knows if they watch my fights. I like to use the jab, I like to move.
"It's like final step in my journey. I had this dream from when I moved to pro from amateur boxing and now I have this chance."
Several titles are on the line Saturday, as young prospects and contenders are ready to impress.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol undercard
Here's a breakdown of all the action on the Beterbiev vs. Bivol card.
Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Kamil Szeremeta
- Division/Weight: Middleweight
- Eubank record: 33-3
- Szeremeta record: 25-2-2
- Belts at stake: N/A
The co-feature is Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Kamil Szeremeta.
Eubank (33-3) is the son of former world champion Chris Eubank. He is 1-1 in his last two fights, avenging a loss last September against Liam Smith. The multi-time Golden Gloves winner has held interim gold and looks to return to title contention after failing to beat George Groves in 2018 for super middleweight gold.
Szeremeta (25-2-2) is on a six-fight unbeaten streak. The former Polish National Champion has experience against elite competition, facing Gennadiy Golovkin and Jaime Munguia.
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Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke 2
- Division/Weight: Heavyweight
- Wardley record: 17-0-1
- Clarke record: 8-0-1
- Belts at stake: British heavyweight title
Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke compete in a rematch for the British heavyweight title.
Wardley (17-0-1) is a former English heavyweight champion who won British gold in 2022. He beat David Adeleye for the Commonwealth belt and has won all but one fight via knockout.
Clarke (8-0-1) won bronze in the 2020 Olympics and has eleven medals, six of which are gold. His last few fights have been impressive wins against Bogdan Dinu, Mariusz Wach, and David Allen.
Wardley and Clarke fought to a draw in March despite Clarke's getting dropped and being deducted a point. Clarke turned it around in the latter half of the fight, and both men struck staggering blows toward the end, resulting in conflicted judges.
Jai Opetaia vs. Jack Massey
- Division/Weight: Cruiserweight
- Opetaia record: 25-0
- Massey record: 22-2
- Belts at stake: IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles
Jai Opetaia defends the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles against Jack Massey.
Opetaia (25-0) won the IBF title in 2022 against Mairis Briedis. He was stripped of the belt when he fought Ellis Zorro to stay active and won it back in May against Briedis. The Sydney-born fighter has displayed dominance in two straight shows in Saudi Arabia.
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Massey (22-2) was working on a scaffolding site when he was offered the fight of his career against heavyweight Joseph Parker, which he lost. Opportunities within the cruiserweight division were provided soon after. It resulted in a sensational win against Isaac Chamberlain in his last contest.
Skye Nicolson vs. Raven Chapman
- Division/Weight: Featherweight
- Nicolson record: 11-0
- Chapman record: 9-0
- Belts at stake: WBC featherweight title
Skye Nicolson defends the WBC featherweight title against Raven Chapman.
Nicolson (11-0) held the interim WBC featherweight title to start 2023. The 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist won the vacant title against Sarah Mahfoud in April after Amanda Serrano relinquished it. The Aussie is interested in facing unified champion Serrano or Olympic rival Karriss Artingstall.
Chapman (9-0) is a former English National Amateur Champion. The Norwich-born fighter looks to go 2-0 in 2024 and win her first world title.
Ben Whittaker vs. Liam Cameron
- Division/Weight: Light Heavyweight
- Whittaker record: 8-0
- Cameron record: 23-6
- Belts at stake: N/A
Further down the card is Ben Whittaker vs. Liam Cameron.
Whittaker (8-0) is a 2020 Olympic silver medalist. "The Surgeon" turned pro in 2022, won two fights in 2023 and has won three in 2024. The 27-year-old is a showboater known for dancing in the ring before punishing the opposition.
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A multi-time English and British Amateur Champion, Cameron (23-6) has held the Commonwealth middleweight title. "Cannonball" is 2-1 in 2024, making up for lost time after failing a drug test years back.
Mohammed Alakel vs. Jesus Gonzalez
- Division/Weight: Super Featherweight
- Alakel record: N/A
- Gonzalez record: 3-2
- Belts at stake: N/A
Finally, Mohammed Alakel faces Jesus Gonzalez.
Fighting out of Saudi Arabia, Alakel makes his pro debut and is trained by Joe Gallagher. Gonzalez (3-2) is 3-1 in his last four fights and had a three-fight win streak end in June.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol tune-in info
- Date: Saturday, October 12
- Location: Kingdom Arena —Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Start time: 2 p.m. ET | 11 a.m PT | 7 p.m. BST | 5 a.m. AEDT
- Main event start time (approx.): 6 p.m. ET | 3 p..m. PT | 11 p.m. BST | 9 a.m. AEDT
- How to watch: DAZN PPV | ESPN+
- PPV price: . £15 U.K.
The main card will air on DAZN. However, in the U.S., only the main event will air on ESPN+. In the U.S., the DAZN-led card will be part of your normal DAZN subscription.
A DAZN monthly subscription is $19.99 on a 12-month contract or $24.99 month-to-month. You can get DAZN in Canada for $24.99 per month. An annual subscription costs $224.99 in the U.S. and $199.99 in Canada.
You can subscribe to ESPN+ for $10.99 on a monthly subscription and $109.99 on an annual subscription.
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