Hello and welcome to Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena for tonight’s light-heavyweight blockbuster. The stage is set for one of the biggest rematches in recent boxing history as Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) defends all four major light heavyweight titles against Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs). Both men are here to sort out unfinished business after their thrilling October showdown, which saw Beterbiev shade a majority decision to unify the WBA, WBO, WBC and IBF belts at 175lb.
That first encounter lived up to the sky-high expectations that preceded it. Beterbiev, known for his brutal knockout power, managed to narrowly get by on points, but the scorecards (114-114, 115-113, and 116-112) left plenty of room for debate with both fighters believing they had done enough to win. Four months later and with everything back on the line, the rematch offers both men a chance to settle the score for good.
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