Since its inception, the Riyadh Season has provided wrestling fans with fun 50/50 fights, and on Saturday night, October 12, the Riyadh Season presents the latest 50/50 contest, as the WBA lightweight champion Dmitry Bivol will face WBC, WBO, IBF. champion Artur Beterbiev.
At times, it looked like the potential Beterbiev vs. Bivol matchup would fall under the category of great fights that never happened. Fortunately, the two fighters were able to reach an agreement, and the fight will take place on October 12 at the Kingdom Arena, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, live on ESPN +.
This fight undoubtedly has all the elements for this fight to be an instant classic. It is the traditional boxer vs. puncher matchup in which both boxers are undefeated and both are currently at a high level.
Dmitry Bivol was first introduced to the general public in May 2022 when he beat a man who many consider to be the face of boxing. During his title defense against Canelo Alvarez, the WBA world champion unleashed his entire repertoire.
Bivol controlled the distance, used the jab, always landed straight punches, his timing was on point, his counterattack was strong, and he was defensively responsible. At the conclusion of the 12-time world title contest, Dmitry Bivol won a unanimous decision victory.
Six months later, Bivol defended his title against a Mexican boxer who came into the fight with 44 wins and no defeats. Once again, Bivol flexed his ring generality and technical skills as he overpowered Gilberto Ramirez.
In June 2024, after winning nine consecutive bouts by unanimous decision, Bivol finally stopped an opponent when he scored a sixth-round TKO victory over Malik Zinad. Now Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) is about to face the toughest challenge of his professional career.
As a boxer under the Top Rank umbrella, Artur Beterbiev has consistently scored impressive knockouts on ESPN broadcasts. Every time Beterbiev entered the squared circle, he overwhelmed his opponent with devastating power.
In June 2022, WBC, IBF lightweight champion Artur Beterbiev traveled to New York to face WBO lightweight champion Joe Smith Jr. In a puncher vs. puncher matchup, Artur Beterbiev dominated New York native Joe Smith on his home front. crowd
In the final seconds of the opening round, Beterbiev caught Smith coming in as he landed a hard overhand that sent Smith to the canvas. Smith managed to get up, but would revisit the canvas twice in the second round.
After coming up from the third bout, Smith was badly hurt when Beterbiev landed a hard uppercut that prompted the referee to step in and put a stop to the contest. Beterbiev went on to score knockout wins over Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith.
Now, the current unified lightweight champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) plans to defeat Dmitry Bivol, and achieve his goal of becoming an undisputed world champion.
Artur Beterbiev is a strong and skilled puncher who likes to press forward. Beterbiev has a solid jab, has good punch placement, and has the ability to fight off his back foot.
Dmitry Bivol is an elite boxer who has all the tools. Bivol has the IQ, accuracy, timing, footwork, punch placement, is an excellent counterpuncher, and has the ability to set traps. With all of Bivol’s abilities, the most intriguing question is what will happen once Beterbiev cuts the ring?
Despite the fact that Dmitry Bivol has an immense amount of boxing talent, there will be a time during the course of this matchup when Bivol will have to stay on the ground and fight Beterbiev.
In 1999, Hall of Fame boxer Roy Jones Jr was the last undisputed lightweight champion of the three-belt era. On Saturday night, in the highly anticipated legacy fight, the winner of the Beterbiev-Bivol encounter will become the first undisputed lightweight champion of the four-belt era.
