Beterbiev Possibly Puts Third Fight Against Bivol 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” Ring IV event card, which will feature the main fight between David Benavidez and Anthony Yarde.
Beterbiev, undisputed former 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 to become the undisputed champion in their first encounter last October.
Instead of continuing with Riyadh Season as the promoter, Beterbiev and Bivol sought to have their trilogy take place in Russia with different organizers. Despite the fact that the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, gave his approval for the Russian boxers to proceed with this plan, Beterbiev opted for another opponent.
Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs), 40 years old, will face a relatively unknown boxer, Nicholson (22-1, 18 KOs), and is expected to be the clear favorite in the betting. Nicholson, 34 years old and from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has faced lower-level opponents in his professional career, which began in 2016. For Nicholson, Beterbiev will represent a significant jump in competition. His only loss was by knockout to Efetobor Apochi in 2021.
After 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 in a mandatory defense. Although Beterbiev has decided to move forward with another opponent, it is still unknown whether Bivol will agree to defend the title against Eifert.
