Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol struggle set for June 1 in Saudi Arabia

The long-awaited Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol undisputed mild heavyweight championship struggle is ready for June 1 in Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s Chairman of Normal Leisure Authority, Turki Alalshikh, introduced Saturday on “The MMA Hour.”

Beterbiev, the WBO, WBC and IBF champion at 175 kilos, is ESPN’s No. 1-ranked mild heavyweight and No. 7 pound-for-pound boxer.

Bivol, who owns a victory over boxing’s high star, Canelo Alvarez, holds the WBA title. Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) is ESPN’s No. 2-ranked mild heavyweight and No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer.

Alalshikh mentioned the beforehand introduced collection of 5 fights between Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing steady and Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions will happen on the undercard.

Beterbiev, 39, and Bivol, 33, each hail from Russia, although Beterbiev now lives in Quebec. That is the place he returned final month with a seventh-round TKO victory over former tremendous middleweight champion Callum Smith, a win that saved him on a collision course with Bivol.

The victory got here in Beterbiev’s first motion since January 2023, when he scored a seventh-round TKO over Anthony Yarde.

Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) is boxing’s solely champion with a 100% KO ratio.

Bivol, although, owns essentially the most spectacular win between the pair together with his Might 2022 resolution victory over Alvarez. It was a dominant efficiency that displayed Bivol’s elite jab, footwork and ring IQ.

Beterbiev additionally possesses a superb jab and is arguably boxing’s most harmful picker.

The matchup is among the many most anticipated within the historical past of the sunshine heavyweight division and presents a captivating conflict of kinds: Bivol is a classical boxer; Beterbiev is a boxer-puncher.

Bivol’s final struggle got here in December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the place he scored a shutout resolution over Lyndon Arthur.