Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol provided two memorable showdowns for the undisputed light-heavyweight crown but there have been major delays for a third encounter. Now, Beterbiev’s team has shared their frustration, as they eagerly await a trilogy clash.
In October 2024, Beterbiev edged a majority-decision against the previously undefeated Bivol to become the first undisputed 175lb champion of the four-belt era, but in their rematch, Bivol scored a majority-decision win of his own to become the second just four months later.
Since then, neither man has fought, but Beterbiev was linked to a clash with either Najee Lopez or Deon Nicholson on the David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde card back in November, before reports suggested that he pulled out of the affair due to an injury.
However, speaking exclusively with Boxing News, Beterbiev’s trainer, Marc Ramsay, revealed that this was not the case and that Beterbiev is also currently fit and ready to fight.
“We never pulled out of that fight. They proposed that name [Najee Lopez] but that name was on a list of maybe 10 others and we always say yes to everybody, Artur Beterbiev has never refused any name.
“Of course [Beterbiev is fully fit and ready to go]. Right now, he is in Russia and he is training in the mountains. We have had no problems, he is always training.”
Although, despite this, Beterbiev remains without a fight date or news of when one may come, awaiting a decision from Bivol, who Ramsay believes is trying to age out his fighter.
“I have not had news regarding the trilogy for a long time. I don’t know exactly what is happening in this case.
“I would have preferred to fight Bivol about 10 years ago! They are making us wait and wait and wait. When we beat him, we gave him a rematch right away.
“They are trying to wait until Artur is 100 years old! This is what they are trying to do right now and I’m not surprised at all, but I don’t know what is going to happen.”
Yet, with Bivol being confirmed for a mandatory defence of his IBF light-heavyweight crown against Germany’s Michael Eifert after undergoing back surgery, Ramsay admitted that he would like Beterbiev to face an alternate opponent and remain active in preparation for a third fight with Bivol.
“He [Bivol] has just come back from an operation, a surgery. If he is going in that direction [and fighting Eifert next], then I would like Artur to have a fight.
“I don’t want to wait on Bivol and I don’t want to wait on [David] Benavidez or guys like this, I just want Artur to be active.”
Bivol-Eifert had been rumoured to take place as the co-main event of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven bill at the Pyramids of Giza in May, but instead their meeting will headline a card in Yekaterinburg, Russia on Saturday, May 30, as Bivol fights on home soil for the first time since 2021.
