Beterbiev postpones trilogy with Bivol: Will face Deon Nicholson
The expected third fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev has been indefinitely suspended. The official announcement revealed that Beterbiev will return to the ring on November 22 to face Deon Nicholson. This fight will be part of the Ring IV “Night of Champions” event card, which will have the main fight between David Benavidez and Anthony Yarde. Beterbiev, undisputed light heavyweight champion, is coming off a majority decision loss to Bivol in February, the first of his professional career. Previously, he had defeated Bivol by majority decision in their first encounter last October, thus becoming the undisputed champion.Instead of keeping the promotion with Riyadh Season, Beterbiev and Bivol sought to have their third fight take place in Russia with different organizers. Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, gave his approval for the Russian boxers to proceed with their plans. However, Beterbiev has chosen to face another 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 heavy favorite in the betting. Nicholson, 34 years old and originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has had a professional career that began in 2016, facing opponents of a lower level. For Nicholson, Beterbiev represents a significant challenge, as his only loss was by knockout against Efetobor Apochi in 2021. After the February rematch, Beterbiev and Bivol failed to reach an agreement for a third fight, which generated frustration in Beterbiev, who expressed his feelings on social media. Bivol, who relinquished the WBC title instead of facing Benavidez, was forced by the IBF to defend his title against Michael Eifert. Although Beterbiev has decided to move on with another opponent, it is still unknown if Bivol will agree to defend the title against Eifert.
