Beterbiev vs. Nicholson: The Bivol-Beterbiev trilogy on hold
The expected third fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev is on indefinite hold. It was recently announced that Beterbiev will return to the ring on November 22 to face Deon Nicholson. This fight will be part of the “Night of Champions” card of Ring IV, headlined by David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde. Beterbiev, undisputed light heavyweight champion, comes to this fight after a majority decision loss against Bivol in February, the first in his professional career. Previously, Beterbiev had defeated Bivol by majority decision last October, in their first encounter, thus achieving the undisputed title.Instead of continuing with Riyadh Season as the promoter, Beterbiev and Bivol sought to have their trilogy fight take place in Russia, with different organizers. The chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, gave his approval for the Russian boxers to proceed with this idea, but Beterbiev opted for a different opponent.
Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs), 40 years old, will face a relatively unknown rival, Nicholson (22-1, 18 KOs), and is expected to be the clear favorite in the betting. Nicholson, 34 years old and originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has faced low-level opposition in his professional career, which began in 2016. For Nicholson, Beterbiev represents a significant step up in competition, with his only knockout loss against Efetobor Apochi in 2021. Following the February rematch, Beterbiev and Bivol failed to reach an agreement for a third fight, and Beterbiev expressed his frustration on social media. Bivol, who relinquished the WBC title rather than face Benavidez, was ordered by the IBF to defend his title against Michael Eifert. Although Beterbiev has decided to move on to another opponent, it is still unknown if Bivol will accept to defend the title against Eifert.
