Dmitry Bivol inks deal, undisputed showdown with Artur Beterbiev now looms large
After one of the most impressive wins of his career, Dmitry Bivol is already looking to book his next big fight.
Just weeks after defeating Lyndon Arthur at the Day of Reckoning, Bivol has reportedly signed to fight WBC, WBO and IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev. With Bivol currently holding the division's IBO and WBA belt, the potential matchup would be an undisputed title fight.
However, Artur Beterbiev has not signed a contract to face Bivol yet, with a pending title defense against Callum Smith on January 13, 2024. The champion is heavily favored to win the fight, setting the table for a huge opportunity in 2024.
Though Bivol and Beterbiev is the expected matchup, with the two circling each other for years, the fight would presumably still take place with Callum Smith should the Liverpool native pull off the upset.
Dan Rafael, who first reported the news, stated that the proposed super fight has been targeted to take place in Saudi Arabia.
Did Dmitry Bivol fight Artur Beterbiev?
As the two best light heavyweights in boxing today, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev have been on each other's radars but have yet to meet in the ring.
Bivol, 22-0, has been the WBA super champion since 2019 while previously holding the promotion's undisputed belt since 2017. Bivol also claimed the IBO belt on December 23 by defeating Arthur.
Beterbiev, 19-0, has held the belts from the other three promotions — WBC, WBO and IBF — since 2022. Beterbiev obtained his first major undisputed championship in 2017 when he knocked out Enrico Kolling.
Following the Day of Reckoning event, Bivol called for the unified championship fight with either Beterbiev or Smith in his post-fight interview.
Bivol has previously called for a big fight with Beterbiev after defending his belt against Gilberto Ramirez in 2022. While the fight did not materialize at that moment, Bivol returned over a year later on the Day of Reckoning.
Once the bell starts for the main event of January 13, it will have been nearly a year since Beterbiev's last fight.