Riyadh Season Delivers Once Again With Stacked Beterbiev v Bivol Undercard
The undercard for the undisputed light-heavyweight fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dimitry Bivol in October was announced on Wednesday, and it was predictably stacked.
Beterbiev (20-0-0 20 KO) and Bivol (23-0-0 12 KO) will be the main attraction of the October 12 show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as the 200lbs division crowns a four-belt world champion. The two most dominant fighters in the division and an intriguing clash of styles between the ferocious Beterbiev and the slick and skillful Bivol sets up the prospect of a Fight of the Year contender.
The two Russian-born fighters were meant to duel on June 1, when they would have headlined a night preceded by the Matchroom Boxing vs Queensberry Promotions 5-vs-5 event involving the likes of Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang, Daniel Dubois, and Filip Hrgovic.
The bout was ultimately postponed after Beterbiev suffered a knee injury in training and required surgery, leaving Bivol to fight late replacement Malik Zinad, whom he knocked out in the sixth round.
While that event was packed with big names, there’s an argument that the new undercard for the postponed bout is just as strong.
The standout star can be found in the co-main event where WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson faces former two-time super-featherweight world title holder Joe Cordina.
Stevenson (22-0-0 10 KO) will fight in Saudi Arabia for the first time and appears to be emulating close friend Terence Crawford in working closely with Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh.
The confirmation of Cordina (17-1-0 9 KO) as the American’s next opponent may be anticlimactic for fans hoping to see him fight Gervonta Davis or Vasiliy Lomachenko next, but the Welshman is a fine fighter and represents an intriguing challenge.
Cordina twice held the IBF’s world title at 130lbs before losing the belt in controversial circumstances to Anthony Cacace in his last fight in May. On that night, the Welshman was caught with a shot on the break and never fully recovered, eventually falling to an eighth-round stoppage.
He will also enter the fight with Stevenson with solid lightweight experience having held the British and Commonwealth titles five years ago.
Stevenson, one of the best fighters on the planet, will of course be the overwhelming favorite and will hope that now he is in the Alalshikh business, a victory will lead to the big fights against Davis and Lomachenko the fans have been demanding.
Before Stevenson and Cordina complete the undercard, British middleweight Chris Eubank Jr will make his return against Poland’s Kamil Szeremeta.
Eubank (33-3-0 24 KO) had been in talks to fight unified super-middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez before the Mexican opted for Edgar Berlanga, so Szeremeta (25-2-2 8 KOs) represents a significant climb down in quality and prestige.
However, Eubank will be coming off 13 months of inactivity and will need to deliver the statement victory he’s expected to if he wants to stay in the frame to challenge Canelo. Anything less and the biggest fight of his career will vanish.
Prior to Eubank will be a contender for fight of the night between British heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke – if it’s anything like their first showdown.
British and Commonwealth champion Wardley (17-0-1 16 KO) and former Olympic bronze medalist Clarke (8-0-1 6 KO) contested a draw in London five months ago as their clash of styles ensured a thrilling fight.
Wardley, who turned pro with no amateur experience and only a few white-collar bouts under his belt, used his power to control the early part of the fight and dropped his opponent in the fifth round. But Clarke, a product of Team GB’s amateur program, used his superior skills to come on strong, dominating the second half of the fight to secure the tie.
Clarke and Wardley will now have the chance to settle their rivalry in Riyadh.
The second of four world title fights on the card will see IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia defend his title against European and British champion Jack Massey.
Opetaia (25-0-0 19 KO) had hoped his next outing would be a unification bout against WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith, although the Australian has claimed his rival ignored their offer.
Making his first title defense since winning back the IBF belt and fighting in Riyadh for a third straight time, Opetaia faces in Massey a fighter coming off the best win of his career when he defeated Isaac Chamberlain in June to become the European champion.
Earlier on the undercard, the popular light-heavyweight prospect Ben Whittaker will make his Riyadh debut against fellow British fighter Liam Cameron.
Whittaker (8-0-0 5 KO) attracted global attention earlier this year for his showboating style, and he will surely bring out all the tricks once again against Cameron (23-6-0 10 KO).
Elsewhere, the first world title fight of the night will see WBC lightweight champion Skye Nicolson (11-0-0 1 KO) defend her title against Raven Chapman (9-0-0 2 KO) after Saudi Arabian lightweight Mohammed Alakel kicks off the card with his professional debut against Jesus Gonzalez (3-2-0 0 KO).
The one criticism that could be leveled at the card is the number of perceived one-sided fights, with the likes of Stevenson, Eubank, Whittaker, and Opetaia expected to claim comfortable victories. But with this many big names and world champions on one bill, that is a natural consequence.
