The promoter of Artur Beterbiev, Bob Arum, says that he and Dmitry Bivol will make interim attacks before meeting in a rematch in October 2025 for the opening of the Riyadh Season.
Top Rank promoter Arum told Dan Rafael X on undisputed lightweight champion Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) and former WBA champion Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) taking interim bouts later.
Arum has not said who Beterbiev will face next, but one possibility is his IBF mandatory challenger, Michael Eifert. The IBF ordered Beterbiev vs Eifert last week to happen next. If Beterbiev wants to keep that title and keep his undisputed crown, he needs to face him or work out a separate deal.
The downside to delaying the Beterbiev-Bivol fight until October 2025 is that Beterbiev will be close to 41 years old. Beterbiev turns 40 on January 21. If the rematch is delayed until October, it will be in three months to turn 41. It’s great for Bivol, who would have more advantage, but not a good deal for Beterbiev or the fans.
What the fans would prefer to happen is that Beterbiev faces Canelo Alvarez or winner of the fight David Benavidez or David Morrell next. These would be great fights. Either of these options would be preferable to the obscure IBF mandatory Eifert (13-1, 5 KOd) who is next for Beterbiev.
It is unlikely that Canelo will choose to fight Beterbiev due to the high risk involved. Canelo might not be interested in facing a dangerous puncher like Beterbiev because he doesn’t have the mobility that Bivol does. He had to stay and fight Beterbiev, and his chances of survival would be slim. It would be the same for Bivol if he wasn’t on the move for 12 rounds.
Bivol should fight one of these contenders next:
– Joshua Buatsi
– David Morrell
– David Benavidez
Ideally, Bivol should fight one of those guys next for his interim bout, but his promoter, Eddie Hearn, might not be open to putting him in a risky fight that he might lose before facing Beterbiev. Bivol does not possess the offensive skills to beat any of those three fighters, and would be forced to move for 12 rounds to prevent him from being knocked down.
Beteriev defeated Bivol by a 12-round majority decision on October 12. The fight was close with Bivol getting the better of the slow Beterbiev in the first half of the fight, using movement, punches and combination punches.
In the second half, Beterbiev took his pressure with his pressure, power, and staying on Bivol. The scores were 114-114-115-113 and 116-112. Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, later argued that he deserved the win by an 8-4 margin, and Beterbiev’s shots were caught on his gloves.
The judges obviously saw Bivol not showing the will to fight and looking in anguish from the seventh round. Bivol’s body language was that of a fighter who had gone completely nuts in the second half of the contest. You can argue that he has lost every time since the seventh round. Obviously, the fans of Hearn and Bivol were not going to admit that he had given up, but it was the reality that the unbiased fans saw.
