Beterbiev postpones trilogy with Bivol and will face Nicholson
The expected third fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev is postponed indefinitely. It was announced that Beterbiev will return to the ring on November 22 to face Deon Nicholson. The fight will be part of the card for The Ring IV’s “Night of Champions” event, which will feature 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. In their first encounter last October, Beterbiev had defeated Bivol by majority decision to become the undisputed champion.Instead of continuing with Riyadh Season as the promoter, Beterbiev and Bivol sought to have their third 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, but Beterbiev opted for another opponent.
Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs), 40 years old, will face a relatively unknown opponent, Nicholson (22-1, 18 KOs), and is expected to be the betting favorite. Nicholson, 34 years old and from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has had a professional career with lower-level rivals, which began in 2016. Beterbiev will represent a significant step up in quality for Nicholson, whose only loss was by knockout to Efetobor Apochi in 2021. After their rematch in February, 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. While Beterbiev has decided to move on to another opponent, it is not yet known whether Bivol will agree to defend the title against Eifert.
