RIYADH: Boxing fans will witness history here on Oct. 12 when Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol clash for the undisputed light-heavyweight title.
The event, dubbed “IV Crown Showdown,” referring to the four belts on the line, will have a seven-match undercard including the first Riyadh Season women’s fight, organizers announced early Wednesday.
But the main event will be the talk of the boxing world for the next few months.
Russian-Canadian Beterbiev has knocked out all of his 20 opponents, including Callum Smith in January, and holds the IBF, WBO and WBC titles.
Bivol, 23-0 with 12 knockouts, also from Russia, has won three fights since his sensational defeat of Canelo Alvarez in 2022, including a technical knockout victory over Libyan Malik Zinad in June.
After retaining his IBF and WBA titles, the Russian powerhouse praised Zinad’s bravery in the fight but said his own game still had room for improvement.
“I am happy for, maybe, 80 or 90 percent,” adding that if he was hitting his 100 percent target he would have to “leave boxing,” he told Arab News.
The event will also feature the first Riyadh Season women’s boxing match when Skye Nicolson fights Raven Chapman in the featherweight division.
The undefeated Australian, 11-0 with one knockout, who holds the WBC title, will face a tough opponent in the UK’s Chapman, who has won all of her nine fights, and has two knockouts.
In addition, America’s Shakur Stevenson, 22-0 with 10 knockouts, is set to defend his WBC lightweight title when he meets Wales’ Joe Cordina who is 17-1 with nine knockouts.
Cordina’s undefeated run came to an end in Riyadh in May when he lost by technical knockout to Anthony Cacace.
