Beterbiev v Bivol: Ringwalk time, undercard, how to follow undisputed light-heavyweight title fight

Artur Beterbiev stares at Dmitry Bivol during a face-offGetty Images

Artur Beterbiev (left) and Dmitry Bivol (right) are both undefeated

Russian rivals Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol meet in an undisputed light-heavyweight title contest in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

It is the first undisputed title fight in the division since 2002 and the first time all four major world titles have been up for grabs in the four-belt era.

England's Raven Chapman also features on the card in a historic first-ever women's world title fight in Saudi Arabia.

Chapman faces Australian WBC featherweight champion Skye Nicolson.

In the cruiserweight division, Australia's Jai Opetaia puts his IBF belt on the line against Briton Jack Massey.

There is also a rematch between British heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke after the pair fought to a draw in March.

Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app will start at 19:00 BST.

What time is Beterbiev v Bivol ringwalk?

The Beterbiev-Bivol ringwalk is expected at about 23:15 BST.

TV coverage starts at 17:00, with the undercard scheduled to begin at 17:35.

Zhilei Zhang emerged for his ringwalk at 01:02 UK time when he fought Deontay Wilder in the most recent high-profile card to take place in Riyadh.

What information do we collect from this quiz?

Who is on the Betebiev-Bivol undercard and what is the running order?

  • Fabio Wardley v Frazer Clarke II (British heavyweight title) - 22:00 BST

  • Jai Opetaia v Jack Massey (IBF cruiserweight title) - 21:00

  • Chris Eubank Jr v Kamil Szeremeta (middleweight) - 20:00

  • Skye Nicolson v Raven Chapman (WBC featherweight title) - 19:00

  • Ben Whittaker v Liam Cameron (light-heavyweight) - 18:00

  • Mohammed Alakel v Jesus Gonzalez (lightweight, 4x3min rounds) - 17:35

How to follow fight week on the BBC

Build-up will be available throughout fight week, including daily podcasts from the BBC Radio 5 Live Boxing team with Steve Bunce.

Which belts are on the line?

For the first time in the modern era, all four light-heavyweight belts will be on the line - WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC.

Beterbiev has ownership of the WBO, WBC and IBF titles, with Bivol bringing his WBA belt into the equation.

The last undisputed light-heavyweight champion was American Roy Jones Jr after he beat compatriot Reggie Johnson, but that was during the three-belt era.

Who are the referee and judges?

Getty Images

American Thomas Taylor has been selected to officiate the historic light-heavyweight bout.

Taylor has overseen 673 fights and was recently in charge when heavyweight rivals Andy Ruiz and Jarrell Miller fought to a draw on the Riyadh Season card in Los Angeles in August.

The three judges at ringside are American Glenn Feldman, Spain's Manuel Oliver Palomo and Pawel Kardyni of Poland.

Palomo was one of the judges back in May when Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury by split decision, scoring 115-112 in favour of the Ukrainian.

Kardyni was a judge for Bivol's most recent fight when he beat Malik Zinad in the sixth round.

What is the Beterbiev-Bivol fight week schedule?

How do Beterbiev and Bivol's records compare?

Beterbiev, aged 39, is six years older than Bivol but has fought on three fewer occasions.

They were scheduled to meet on 1 June but Beterbiev had to pull out after suffering a knee injury in training.

Both fighters boast undefeated records and a combined 32 knockouts across 43 contests.

Beterbiev, who competed as a heavyweight at the 2012 Olympics in London, has won all 20 of his fights inside the distance - the only current world champion to possess a 100 per cent knockout ratio.

He first became a world champion in 2017 when he beat Enrico Kolling to claim the vacant IBF light-heavyweight belt.

Beterbiev won the WBC strap in 2019 after stopping Oleksandr Gvozdyk and added WBO with victory against Joe Smith Jr in 2022.

Bivol made his professional debut in 2014, one year after Beterbiev, but has been more active over the past 10 years.

He won the interim WBA title in just his seventh fight in 2016 and was upgraded to the Super champion in September 2017.

Bivol earned a shock points victory against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in 2022, becoming just the second man to achieve that feat after Floyd Mayweather.

He has 12 stoppages on his record but nine of his last 10 fights have gone the distance.

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