The undisputed light heavyweight championship fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol is tentatively being rescheduled for October or December, provided Beterbiev’s torn meniscus in his knee is ready for him to compete.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh told Ariel Helwani that he hopes to schedule the Beterbiev-Bivol fight for October or December.
The Challenge of a Quick Return for Beterbiev
It’s an ambitious plan on Alalshikh’s part because returning to the ring soon after suffering a knee injury like the one IBF/WBC/WBO 175-lb champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) suffered is going to be difficult to achieve.
Can it happen? Yeah, it can, but Beterbiev might not be at 100% for the fight, which would play into WBA champion Bivol’s hands fighting a guy who isn’t at his best for this contest.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn would be happy to see Bivol, his fighter, take on Beterbiev later this year because he would have a good chance of beating the unified champion if his knee isn’t at full strength.
An Alternative Proposal: Benavidez vs. Gvozdyk Winner Faces Bivol
I think a better idea would be to let Beterbiev recuperate for the remainder of 2024 and, instead, have the David Benavidez vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk winner take on Bivol in October or December in a mega-fight.
The highly popular Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) is fighting former WBC light heavyweight champion Gvozdyk (20-1,16 KOs) for the vacant World Boxing Council interim 175-lb title next month on June 15th in Las Vegas. The winner of that fight will be the mandatory for the WBC title held by Beterbiev.
Benavidez is expected to defeat the 37-year-old Gvozyk, so he can be counted on to be in position to fight for a world title against Bivol later this year.
If Beterbiev fights Bivol for his WBA title, the winner of the fight can then face Beterbiev in the first quarter of 2025. Fans would get a chance to see two excellent fights instead of one.
That’s a better deal for them. Benavidez will fight Bivol in October or December, and the winner will fight Beterbiev in 2025. Fans would like to see Benavidez fight Bivol first, and then watch whoever emerges as the winner face a fully healed Beterbiev next year.
Read the full article here
