Dmitry Bivol And Artur Beterbiev Compete To Become First True Light Heavyweight Champions After 25 Years

Dmitry Bivol (right) and Artur Beterbiev will compete to become true lightweight heavyweight champions for the first time in 25 years. (Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

JAKARTA Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev will compete to become the first true light heavyweight champions after 25 years. The two Russian boxers will compete in Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 12 October.

The last boxer to become the real light heavyweight champion (79) was Roy Jones Jr. It happened in 1999, or 25 years ago. After that, there were no more boxers in the lightweight heavyweight who controlled the championship belt belonging to the four main world boxing bodies: WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO.

Bivol (33 years old) currently holds the WBA version of the belt, while Beterbiev (39 years) controls the championship belt from the WBC, IBF, and WBO boxing bodies. Both boxers are unbeaten. Bivol has a record of 23-0-0 (12 KOs), while Baterbiev is more diligent in all of his 20 wins obtained through KO/TKO.

"To be honest, this will be my toughest fight. The reason is, he is very strong. Artur is like a rock, both a blow and a durability. I know he is much stronger than Canelo Alvarez," Bivol told DAZN.

"But after all he is a human being, there must be weaknesses. That weakness is what I will use to the maximum to beat Artur," said Bivol again.

Meanwhile, Beterbiev coach John totals that his boxer is in a very high condition.

Preparations and physical conditions Artur is extraordinary. The discipline is very high. He sleeps always on time, does not carelessly eat, basically he never wastes his body on useless things. Therefore, Artur is still very excellent at the age of which most people are considered to have used to boxing, "saidtip.

Who managed to match Roy Jones Jr's 25-year achievement, Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev?