By Reinaldo Oliveros
May 4, 2024, 11:37 AM EDT
Artur Beterbiev, Dmitri Bivol’s rival, suffered a torn meniscus and the fight for the undisputed championship light heavyweight is suspended.
Beterbiev was scheduled to face Bivol on June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Turki Alalshikh, president of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, confirmed that is looking for a replacement to face Bivol, according to the source ESPN.
Beterbiev, who had a record of 20 wins without losses, all by Knockout, will have to undergo knee surgery. He is expected to be out at least until September, according to reports.
Beterbiev-Bivol is expected to be rescheduled later this year. Matchroom will hold a five-bout night against Queensberry on June 1.
The fight series is highlighted by a fight between former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder against Zhilei Zhang.
Wilder needs a win for his planned fight against Jared Anderson next August 3 in Los Angeles.
Filip Hrgovic will face Daniel Dubois for the vacant IBF heavyweight title, and Ray Ford will defend his WBA featherweight title against Nick Ball. The other two fights are Ammo Williams-Hamzah Sheeraz and Willy Hutchinson-Craig Richards.
Although the most anticipated fight of the night was Beterbiev vs. Bivol. Both Russian and undefeated. Beterbiev is the only champion with a 100% knockout rate.
Canelo Álvarez will defend his titles against Jaime Munguía
The Mexican Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez will defend his world titles in the super middleweight division this Saturday in Las Vegas against his compatriot Jaime Munguía, with 43 wins in the same number of fights as a professional.
At the T Mobile Arena, ‘Canelo’ will seek his 61st victory against a rival six years younger, motivated by the possibility of achieving the most resounding victory of his career.
Praised for his dedication and hunger to improve himself, Álvarez has been criticized in recent months for not accepting the challenge of World Boxing Council interim champion David Benavides. Controversy aside, this Saturday he will go out to show that at 33 years old he is the best in his category against an opponent with 34 fast-track wins.
Munguía is having a good time; On January 27 he defeated the British John Ryder by knockout, whom he sent to the canvas four times; However, against ‘Canelo’ you will have to be intelligent and pay attention to one of his weak points: defense.
It will be an attractive fight because after losing two years ago to the Russian Dmitrii Bivol, Saúl regained confidence and defeated the Kazakh Gennadiy Golovkin, Ryder and the American Jermell Charlo, although all three held out until the final round.
Keep reading:
– Julio César Chávez leaves some requests for Jaime Munguía
– Óscar de la Hoya jabs Canelo Álvarez through his lawyer: they demand that he recant