It's Official: Bivol vs. Beterbiev - Light Heavyweight Showdown on June 1!

A word from the grapevine, courtesy of boxing insider Dan Rafael, suggests a clash is brewing between the WBA's undefeated light heavyweight champ Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) and the triple-crown holder of the WBC, WBO, and IBF, Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs). Rafael spills the beans:

"The deal for this epic light heavyweight title unification bout between Beterbiev and Bivol isn't inked yet, but the path's clear. We're looking at June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the battleground."

However, there's a twist in the tale. WBC boss Mauricio Sulaiman mentioned the organization's reluctance to green-light Bivol's participation due to his Russian ties. Born in Kyrgyzstan, Bivol moved to St. Petersburg with his family in 2002 and is a Russian passport holder. Though he's now based in the US, his locker room always sports the Russian flag, leaving no doubts about his allegiance.