Beterbiev injures knee, June 1 bout with Bivol postponed
Artur Beterbiev ruptured his meniscus in training, forcing his June 1 fight with Dmitry Bivol to be postponed, according to boxing journalist Dan Rafael.
After receiving today’s news about Beterbiev’s injury, we will be postponing the Beterbiev vs. Bivol fight scheduled for June 1st until later this year. Wishing my brother Artur a speedy recovery 💪🙏 However, the 5v5 event is still on for June 1st. 🥊🔥
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) May 3, 2024
Beterbiev will undergo knee surgery and be sidelined until at least September, ESPN's Mike Coppinger reports.
Beterbiev and Bivol were scheduled to square off in a highly anticipated undisputed light heavyweight championship fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, told Coppinger that organizers are looking for an opponent for Bivol to take Beterbiev's place.
The remainder of the card is expected to go on as scheduled. The event features a pair of heavyweight tilts: Deontay Wilder will take on Zhilei Zhang, while Daniel Dubois squares off against Filip Hrgovic.
Raymond Ford will also defend his WBA featherweight title against Nick Ball.