WBO Orders Beterbiev to Provide Medical Explanation for Injury Postponing Bivol Fight
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has taken action in response to a recent injury suffered by Artur Beterbiev, the WBO, WBC, and IBF light heavyweight titleholder. Top Rank, Beterbiev’s promoter, confirmed last Friday that the undefeated Russian boxer (20-0, 20 KOs) sustained a ruptured meniscus during training, forcing the postponement of his highly anticipated undisputed light heavyweight championship bout against WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol.
Originally scheduled for June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the fight is now expected to be rescheduled for later this year. In a statement released on Wednesday, the WBO Championship Committee, led by Chairman Luis Batista Salas, has ordered Beterbiev to provide a detailed medical explanation of his injury, including the findings, recovery prognosis, and his physician’s opinion on when he will be physically and medically cleared to return to active competition.
“Beterbiev is hereby ordered to submit within the next 10 days a detailed medical explanation of his injury, findings, recovery prognosis and his physician’s opinion as to when will he be physically and medically cleared to compete and return to active competition,” Batista Salas wrote in the statement. “Failure to comply with this order will result in Beterbiev waiving all rights hereunder and with the Committee proceeding per WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.”
The statement was copied to Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum, Vice President of Boxing Operations Carl Moretti, and General Counsel Jeremy Koegel, as well as WBO President Francisco Valcárcel.
Beterbiev, who is 39 years old, has faced a series of injury setbacks since the start of this decade, with five bouts being canceled since March 2020, not all of which were his fault. A successful bout against Bivol (24-0, 17 KOs), who is 33 years old, would be an opportunity for Beterbiev to potentially cement his status as a future Hall of Famer.
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