Fight fans will have to wait a bit longer for one of the most anticipated fights of the year. Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol will not take place on June 1 as planned after Beterbiev suffered an injury in training camp, Turki Alalshikh announced on Friday.
Top Rank released a statement saying that Beterbiev suffered a ruptured meniscus in training camp and there’s no timetable for his recovery. The plan is to reschedule the fight before the end of the year.
The fight, which was announced in February, was set to crown the first undisputed light heavyweight champion of the four-belt era and first in the division since Roy Jones Jr. in 2002.
Beterbiev, who holds the WBC, IBF and WBO titles at 175 pounds, is coming off another destructive victory in January over Callum Smith to extend his incredible run as a pro where he has finished all 20 men to step into the ring with him.
Bivol, the WBA champion, scored a decision win over Lyndon Arthur in his last appearance, his only in 2023, which many considered a stay-busy fight.
It’s the latest unification fight to hit a snag after clearing major hurdles. Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk was postponed just two weeks out from the fight after Fury suffered a nasty cut in training camp. The fight to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era now takes place on May 18.
Alalshikh noted that the event Beterbiev and Bivol were set to headline will still go on. Dubbed the 5 vs. 5 series, the card will pit Queensberry Promotions fighters against Matchroom Boxing fighters. The expected main event for the card will pit heavyweights against each other when Deontay Wilder takes on Zhilei Zhang. Both fighters are coming off losses in against Joseph Parker in December and March, respectively.
