Who will win the upcoming Undisputed Light Heavyweight World Championship fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitri Bivol?
On October 12, from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a battle for undisputed supremacy in the light heavyweight division, WBA champion Dmitry Bivol will face off against the unified IBF/WBC/WBO and the lineal world light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev .
This showdown between 2 undefeated champions was originally scheduled to take place on June 1st. But the fight was postponed after Beterbiev suffered a torn meniscus in early May. Bivol was given a replacement opponent and took on Malik Zinad on the same day he was supposed to face Beterbiev, and Bivol knocked Zinad out with a 6th round submission.
Beterbiev is a perfect 20-0 with all 20 wins impressively coming inside the distance. Bivol is a perfect 22-0 with 11 of those wins coming within the distance. Those records reflect the two common views going into this one, that either Beterbiev stops him the distance, or Bivol out-boxed Beterbiev over the 12-round duration. But a Beterbiev decision or a Bivol stoppage is also possible, as is a draw in what most consider a true 50-50 pick’em fight.
This battle of undefeated light heavyweight champions is long overdue. Beterbiev won his first championship in November 2017, and Bivol regained his major championship in October 2019 when he was promoted from the minor ordinary WBA trinket to the so-called super belt. So by the time these two finally square off, it will have been 5 years since these two both reigned as champions at 175.
The winner of this match will produce the first undisputed World Light Heavyweight Champion during the modern 4 belt era, and technically it will produce the first undisputed World Light Heavyweight Champion since Roy Jones Jr last held all the major belts in 2002. But in reality, this is actually the first undisputed world light heavyweight champion since Michael Spinks last achieved that distinction in 1985. The distinction here is that in addition to holding every major belt of his day, Spinks also had a valid claim to the lineal championship. Roy did not, as he never faced or beat lineal light heavyweight champion Dariusz Michalzcewski. And the Michaczewski line is the one that followed in the line to Beterbiev today.
The Beterbiev v Bivol main event will be broadcast live on DAZN Pay-per-view worldwide (excluding the US and Canada where only the main event will be on ESPN+)
The entire undercard will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
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So who will win the battle for undisputed light heavyweight supremacy between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitri Bivol?
This issue of Rummy’s Corner will try to answer that question as he offers a quick preview for the upcoming showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitri Bivol. Please watch and enjoy the video for one man’s opinion. This is Rummy’s Corner (produced and narrated by Geoffrey Ciani).
