Injury Bug Plagues Beterbiev Ahead of Anticipated Bivol Clash
WBC, WBO, and IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) has faced a rash of injuries that have derailed his career in recent years. The highly anticipated fight between Beterbiev and WBA beltholder Dmitrii Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) for the undisputed 175-pound title, scheduled for this Saturday, has been postponed after Beterbiev suffered a ruptured meniscus requiring knee surgery. The fight is expected to be rescheduled by the end of the year.
Beterbiev, 39, has struggled with various health issues during his title reign, with four out of his last six fights (including the Bivol matchup) going through five separate postponements due to injuries and other medical concerns. In January, his fight against Callum Smith was postponed due to a bone infection in his jaw following dental surgery. Prior to that, his bout against Anthony Yarde in January 2023 was delayed after Beterbiev underwent surgery to clean tissue from his knee.
“The Russian champion’s mandatory title defense against Adam Deines in March 2021 was also postponed twice throughout 2020 due to an injured rib and contracting COVID-19. Beterbiev has also undergone right shoulder surgery in 2015 and suffered a nasty gash across his forehead in a bout against Marcus Browne in December 2021.”
While Beterbiev stays sidelined, the WBA titleholder Bivol will keep his planned June 1 fight date against Malik Zinad in Saudi Arabia. Two-time super middleweight titleholder David Benavidez is also eyeing a run at the 175-pound title and will make his light heavyweight debut on June 15 against former belt holder Oleksandr Gvozdyk. The winner between Benavidez and Gvozdyk will become the WBC’s interim light heavyweight titleholder.
Benavidez is skeptical about Beterbiev’s chances against Bivol, stating that the champion’s intense training regimen may be “slowing him down” as he gets older. However, Benavidez prefers to stay on the sidelines and wait to see how the Beterbiev-Bivol matchup unfolds, focusing on his own fight against Gvozdyk first.
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