Turkish Al-Sheikh says a trilogy match will be held if Dmitry Bivol is victorious in his rematch with undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, which will take place in 13 days on February 22nd at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Ring Magazine reports that Turki has “confirmed” that a trilogy will occur if Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) wins the rematch on February 22nd
That’s terrible news for WBC mandatory David Benavidez, who hopes to fight the winner of the Beterbiev-Bivol 2 fight. Fans will find it tough to accept a third match between these two because many are already tired of seeing them fight. Bivol is not exciting to watch, as he uses a hit-and-run style—only a select few fans enjoy that approach.
Beterbiev’s Task
We already know Bivol will try to box his way to a decision win because he has no power and rarely attempts to score knockouts. Given the complaints from Dmitry’s Matchroom promoter, Eddie Hearn, and pro-Bivol fans, Beterbiev may need to do something extraordinary to win a decision on February 22nd. We’ve seen this kind of thing before.
When a fighter wins an unpopular decision, the rematch often sees the former loser given a controversial win. As such, it won’t be a shock if Bivol wins the rematch by a decision, no matter how the fight plays out. Hopefully, that’s not the case, but things look like they’re heading in that direction. If you’re Beterbiev, you must think, ‘I need a knockout.’
The only positive for ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez is that Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) will likely win the rematch with Bivol. Their previous fight last October showed that Bivol couldn’t stand up to his power and was forced to run and hold the last seven rounds in a 12-round majority decision defeat. Beterbiev came into the fight with recent knee surgery, yet he still dominated.
Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) may need to take an interim fight to stay busy if there is a Beterbiev-Bivol trilogy match. Benavidez should give David Morrell a rematch if that’s the case because he’s the best possible opponent he can fight to create interest in his title challenge at 175.
The Benavidez-Morrell fight on February 1st created a lot of interest from fans and brought in respectable PPV numbers. Benavidez won a 12-round unanimous decision but took a beating in the fight, and his face looked like he’d lost the fight. Morrell was largely unmarked at the end, showing that Benavidez’s weaker punches had done nothing to him.
Stay-Busy Options
– Joshua Buatsi
– Jai Opetaia
– Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez
– Anthony Yarde
– Willy Hutchinson
Last Updated on 02/09/2025
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