Undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol are inching closer to their February 22 rematch at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Beterbiev bested Bivol in the October bout, scoring a majority decision win in a hard-fought contest. If Bivol returns the favor and notches the victory in the sequel, all signs point to a trilogy taking place.
During a Reddit conversation with fans, Turki Alalshikh, head of Riyadh Season and chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, confirmed that a third fight is in store should Bivol emerge as the victor.
Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) and Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs), both of whom are ranked in The Ring’s top five in the pound-for-pound list, don’t have any rivals of their ilk at 175 pounds outside of David Benavidez.
Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs), fresh off a win against David Morrell, is waiting in the wings as the mandatory challenger.
As The Ring recently reported, Benavidez has been invited to attend the event and he intends to sit ringside and scout the talents of both boxers. in the main event
Manouk Akopyan is a lead writer for Ring Magazine. He can be reached on X and Instagram @ManoukAkopyan.