In a fascinating crossroads battle, former three-time world heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev will meet red hot prospect Bektemir ‘Bek Bully’ Melikuziev at the Luzhniki Arena in Moscow on January 30.
Kovalev-Melikuziev will be the main feature of a DAZN card, according to journalist Dan Rafael of BoxingScene. Across the same city on January 30, Artur Beterbiev will be defending his WBC and IBF 175lbs crowns against Adam Deines on a separate Top Rank promotion.
Russian warrior Kovalev (34-4-1, 29 KOs) and Uzbek hope Melikuziev (6-0, 5 KOs) will fight at a contracted weight of 178lbs, says Rafael.
A silver medallist at the Rio Olympics, the marauding Melikuziev, 24, is being fast-tracked by promoters Golden Boy who view the southpaw as a cast-iron star of the future. The 37-year-old Kovalev was last seen losing to Canelo Alvarez in November 2019.