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Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol card preview, date, time and how to watch

Written by Tom Eaton on 2nd October 2024.

Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev

The undisputed light-heavyweight showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol remains as arguably the most enticing clash in the world of boxing with the power of Beterbiev and technical skills of Bivol making for a stylistic match-up that has boxing fans and analysts eagerly speculating. Here, we at Boxing Social take a deeper look into the full card of one of the most anticipated fight nights in the history of the 175lb division.

Mohammed Alakel (debut) is a name that is understandably unknown to the vast majority, but it is one that fans may become familiar with over the next twelve months. Turki Al-Alshikh has always been keen to include a Saudi fighter on his high-profile bills, usually Ziyad Almaayouf, in an attempt to grow boxing in the Kingdom and Alakel appears to be his latest prospect to get behind.

Once a member of the Clovenstone Amateur Boxing Team in Edinburgh, Scotland, Alakel has picked up development and district titles as an amateur and was also a junior taekwondo champion before making the permanent switch to boxing. Now trained by Joe Gallagher, Alakel will face Colombia’s Jesus Gonzalez (3-2) to kick off the bill with a four-round super-featherweight contest – just four months after Gonzalez was stopped by a body-shot against rising British lightweight, Ibraheem ‘Spider’ Sulaimaan.

Just eight fights into his professional career, Ben Whittaker (8-0) is fast becoming one of Britain’s superstars, regularly going viral for his consistent showboating and controversial fight style. However, it’s not all fun and games for the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist and ‘The Surgeon’ will be keen to ensure he keeps his eyes on the prize in his toughest test to date, although he might want to steal the show on his Saudi debut and will likely aim to create highlight reel moments.

Whittaker takes a considerable step up in competition as he fights former Commonwealth champion Liam Cameron (23-6), fresh from a controversial defeat to IBO light-heavyweight title-holder Lyndon Arthur. After a five-and-a-half-year absence from the ring, Cameron has returned with a newfound sense of vigour and steely determination to achieve further success in the sport and represents a serious banana skin if Whittaker dares to overlook him.

Australia’s Skye Nicolson (11-0) seemed destined for world titles ever since her 2022 debut and the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion delivered on her potential earlier this year, outpointing Sarah Mahfoud for the vacant WBC featherweight title back in April. Since then, Nicholson has made one additional defence of the strap and will fight for a third time this year as she makes history by taking part in a first women’s world title contest on Saudi soil.

Nicolson has been tasked with undefeated Brit Raven Chapman (9-0) in what is not only a battle between two undefeated fighters but a showdown between rival promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren – a rivalry which has been dominated by Warren thus far in 2024. Chapman will hope to upset the odds and continue Queensberry’s winning streak as she challenges for world honours for the first time in her career.

Polarising middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. (33-3) remains as one of the biggest draws in the United Kingdom despite failing to secure a recognised world title thus far in his 14-year career. After recently signing with Boxxer, the 34-year-old finally appears keen to secure a second world title challenge and could collide with current unified champion Janibek Alimkhanuly in the near future should a long-awaited meeting with Conor Benn, or another lucrative opportunity, not materialise.

In the opposing corner is Poland’s Kamil Szeremeta (25-2-2), whose duo of defeats have come solely against world champions in Gennadiy Golovkin and Jaime Munguia. Szeremeta’s most recent appearance was a draw against Abel Mina in a scrap for the Republic of Poland super-middleweight title, but he will drop back down to 160lbs to square off against Eubank as a sizeable underdog.

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Another man with mammoth opportunities on the horizon is IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia (25-0), who has been vocal in his ambition to unify belts in the 200lb division before a move to heavyweight in the future. Knocking out three Brits in his last four outings, the Aussie has made a habit of delivering showstopping KO’s and excelling on Turki Al-Alshikh cards of late. Opetaia will seek to continue that form and then move on to a three-belt unification bout against the victor of Riyadh Season’s November headliner, although he may have to fight again in the interim if he is to retain his belt.

The man hoping to spoil those plans is the game European champion Jack Massey (22-2) who remains confident of proving the bookmakers wrong in a first world title bid. Massey’s granite chin served him well in an unconventional step-up to heavyweight last year against Joseph Parker in a performance that is ageing like a fine wine, but his career-best victory over Isaac Chamberlain is the one that has grabbed the most attention.

As many deem Opetaia as both the poster boy and most powerful puncher at cruiserweight, it remains to be seen whether Massey can do what Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro couldn’t and survive the inevitable early onslaught from the champion – in the hopes of capitalizing during the late rounds.

In the final and most intense scrap on the undercard, Fabio Wardley (17-0-1) and Frazer Clarke (8-0-1) will rematch for the British heavyweight title – six months on from their bloodied brawl on Easter Sunday, which will likely go down as one of 2024’s fight of the year contenders. In a traditionally contrasting match-up, the front-footed Wardley will seek to add to his 16 knockout victories to date and improve upon his finishing instincts after having Clarke hurt in their first encounter.

Meanwhile, challenging Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Clarke will hope that his amateur experience, of which Wardley has none, will shine through and that he can control the bout behind a strong jab – confident in the fact that he would have had his hand raised in his initial meeting with Wardley had he not suffered a point deduction for low blows.

Wardley-Clarke II will mark a second British heavyweight title clash in Riyadh within the last twelve months but there lay further incentives this time around, as the victor will likely see instant progression to the world level, as well as the glory of a grudge match win.

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Finally, we come to the main attraction, as Artur Beterbiev (20-0) and Dmitry Bivol (23-0) collide in an event that seemed near impossible to make until the intervention of Turki Al-Alshikh. The age-old head spinner of power versus skill, fans across the globe continue to struggle to pick a winner and it is clear to see why.

The only world champion with a 100% knockout ratio, Artur Beterbiev is not just a hard-hitting brute but a masterful boxing mind, trumping the legendary Oleksandr Usyk as an amateur. Beterbiev claimed the IBF light-heavyweight world title in just his 12th outing as a professional and has since gone on to become a three-belt unified champion with stoppage victories over Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Joe Smith Jr.

His last two performances have convinced the British public that he is a force to be reckoned with, twice stepping up a gear and making in-fight adjustments to defend his titles against Anthony Yarde and Callum Smith without the help of the judges.

One drawback for the Canadian-Russian is the fact that he was forced to postpone the originally scheduled undisputed meeting with Bivol earlier this year due to a knee injury and at 39-years-old there are fears that father time may finally be catching up with the 2009 amateur world champion – regardless of the fact that he has shown no such signs inside of the ring.

In spite of the well-deserved plaudits that Beterbiev has received in the last couple of years, it is WBA champion Dmitry Bivol who is poised to step through the ropes as the favourite for the undisputed crown, a famous win over Canelo Alvarez likely being enough to swing the odds.

An opposite to the WBC, WBO & IBF champion, Bivol’s style is that of a smaller fighter, using his feet as much as his hands to comfortably defeat almost all of his opponents. A stoppage victory over the overmatched Malik Zinad on June 1st was a first win inside the distance since 2018 (nine fights) for Bivol and the question mark for him is whether he will be able to keep Beterbiev off of him and not allow his fellow champion to cut off the ring and trap him in the corners – which Beterbiev does so well.

Still, the footwork of Bivol has been the basis of much of his success to date and if the contest begins in a tense, tactical manner rather than the war that many hope to see, then he is the man you would have to favour, even if Beterbiev’s fear-striking training footage (below) would convince many viewers otherwise.

When?

The card will take place at in The Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, October 12th with the undercard expected to begin around 7pm (BST), whilst Beterbiev and Bivol are poised to take centre stage around 11:30pm (BST).

How To Watch

The full event will be available to watch on pay-per-view for £19.99 on each of DAZN PPV, TNT Sports Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office – with all three offering alternative commentary teams.

Running Order

  • Mohammed Alakel (0-0) vs. Jesus Gonzalez (3-2) – Super-featherweight
  • Ben Whittaker (8-0) vs. Liam Cameron (23-6) – Light-Heavyweight
  • Skye Nicolson (11-0) vs. Raven Chapman (9-0) – WBC Featherweight Title
  • Chris Eubank Jr. (33-3) vs. Kamil Szeremeta (25-2-2) – IBO Middleweight Title
  • Jai Opetaia (25-0) vs. Jack Massey (22-2) – IBF Cruiserweight Title
  • Fabio Wardley (17-0-1) vs. Frazer Clarke (8-0-1) – British Heavyweight Title
  • Artur Beterbiev (20-0) vs Dmitry Bivol (23-0) – WBC, WBO, WBA & IBF Light-Heavyweight Titles.

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