On October 12, a grand boxing evening will take place in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), the main event of which will be the long-awaited fight for the title of absolute world light heavyweight champion between Russians Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. At the second attempt, the guys will still meet in the ring. The fight was supposed to take place earlier, but Arthur was seriously injured. It is worth noting that this confrontation already has a rich history. It looks like a real series: with interesting plot twists and intrigue. Some are still not sure that the best Russian boxers will continue to fight in the ring.
We have compiled the most interesting details of the upcoming tournament:
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Arthur Beterbiev – Dmitry Bivol: the legendary battle of the Russians for the absolute championship. LIVE
The fight between Bivol and Beterbiev is a long-awaited story. And it was in Saudi Arabia that they were able to make the fairy tale come true. This fight has been the dream of all the top promoters for a long time. But there were always obstacles on the way that seemed insurmountable. It was a matter of fees, conditions and the interests of the athletes themselves. The guys are not ready to lose such a notable “zero” in the defeat column. And Arthur’s track record seems outstanding also because he invariably knocked out his opponents. It is for this reason that such a confrontation will, unfortunately, deprive one of the boxers of such a great legacy.
Arthur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol
Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Saudi Arabia has become a magnet for all top boxing on the planet. And most importantly, they do not skimp on money at all. And if earlier fighters could still think about offers and wonder if they needed such a fight, now the promoters simply do not leave such a chance with their generous offers. There is no doubt that the organizers again paid impressive fees to the top stars. And now it is very important to come to the showdown in an optimal state. There is less than a month left until the fight, but the fans are still in anxious anticipation. They perfectly understand that once even a completely agreed and scheduled fight was postponed.
At the same time, in Saudi Arabia they know exactly how to force boxers to get into the ring and fulfill their obligations. The story of how Tyson Fury got a cut and was unable to fight Alexander Usik at the first attempt is still fresh in my memory. A little later it became known that the organizers had proposed a serious punishment if the fight failed for the second time because of the Gypsy King. Most likely, Bivol and Beterbiev will have a similar situation. The event is too long-awaited for the promoters to easily abandon the idea of holding it.
It is a pity that such a fight is taking place far from the most interested public. But there were once real talks about organizing this fight in Russia. True, well-known events put an end to such ideas. But the director of the promotion company RCC Boxing Promotions, German Titov, is confident that everything is quite possible in the foreseeable future: “I really wanted to hold a fight between Bivol and Beterbiev. This idea came up a few years ago, we even negotiated. But then notorious events happened and everything stopped. And then the market value of these boxers increased so much that now we could no longer afford it. There will still be options later. After all, Bivol will be able to box for another five or six years, Beterbiev is smaller, but he will also be able to fight for a couple of years. For example, the winner of the Bivol-Beterbiev fight will probably fight Benavidez. It would be very interesting to do this in Russia. In theory, this is completely possible.”
There is only one obstacle left on Arthur’s professional path:
Beterbiev’s last fight? There will be no rematch with Bivol
Arthur’s injury was just another twist in this long and very interesting series. Many even theorized that Beterbiev pulled out of the fight on purpose, although in reality he did not have any injuries. They attributed it to the desire to have more time to prepare and work on his own terms. Thus, all this only fueled the interest in the confrontation between Dmitry and Arthur. Moreover, now the fight has become more intriguing. Will Beterbiev be able to fully recover and face this confrontation without consequences? Will the recent fight with Malik Zinad affect Bivol? And all the stories about Dmitry’s personal life only make us worry even more about the state the boxer will be in when he steps into the ring.
Dmitri Bivol
Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
The fees for this fight seem like a separate story, as no concrete figures have been announced yet. At the same time, some Internet portals suggest that the guys will not receive much money. In their opinion, Beterbiev (as the owner of three belts) will receive $2 million, and Bivol – $1 million. On the one hand, this is really more than the guys received during their careers. But one must understand that the status of this fight is completely different. The fight for the absolute championship will probably have a completely different price. Of course, you shouldn’t even think about the fact that the guys will come close to the amounts that Fury and Usyk received. But a fee of one million dollars also seems too strange for such a confrontation.
Many are sure that Turki Al ash-Sheikh is not a positive hero at all:
“Ominous signs of dictatorship”: Why Saudi money could destroy boxing
The confrontation between the best Russians was made possible by the fact that Saudi Arabia is taking boxing to a new level. And all these stories only fuel the excitement even more. The guys respectfully interrupt the fight, but do not forget to make fun of each other. First, the story of whether the contract has been signed. Then, Beterbiev’s injury. I would like to believe that there will be no more problems with holding the fight. And then professional boxing will be able to get the best fight not only of the century, but of the entire history. The main thing is that the “scriptwriters” of this series do not come up with a new twist. Arthur is already 39 years old and another break in the fight could prove fatal. And then the fairy tale will remain a pipe dream.
