The Last Three Opponents of Dmitry Bivol
Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) will soon have his shot at becoming the undisputed light heavyweight champion against Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs).
The two men headline a Riyadh Season card at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Boxing fans can catch the action as a pay-per-view on DAZN. However, Beterbiev-Bivol will not be part of the pay-per-view for those in the United States and Canada. Those in the United States can watch that fight exclusively on ESPN+. A Canadian broadcaster for Beterbiev-Bivol has yet to be named. Fight fans in the UK, can watch on DAZN PPV, TNT Sports Box Office, or Sky Sports Box Office.
Beterbiev-Bivol is part of Riyadh Season, a Saudi Arabian state-funded entertainment and sports festival. The Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority is responsible for its organization.
Ahead of his October 12 clash, Big Fight Weekend looks at the last three opponents of Bivol.
The Last Three Opponents of Dmitry Bivol
Malik Zinad
Bivol was originally set to face Beterbiev on June 1. However, an injury to the Russian-born Canadian meant that the WBA champion faced Malik Zinad (now 22-1, 16 KOs) instead. Bivol had little trouble with the Libyan, controlling the action from the opening round. Zinad went to the canvas in round one following a three-punch combination. Bivol continued to dominate and a barrage of punches from him in round six forced the stoppage.
Lyndon Arthur
This was Bivol’s first ever fight in Saudi Arabia and it was a fairly pedestrian affair. Big Fight Weekend was in attendance as Bivol boxed his way to a unanimous decision win over Lyndon Arthur (now 24-2, 16 KOs). The Englishman had little for the champion and was knocked down in round 11 from a left to the body. All three judges ringside had this bout 120-107 in the end.
Gilberto Ramírez
Bivol’s first-ever fight in the Middle East occurred at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Unlike Arthur, Gilberto Ramírez (now 46-1, 30 KOs) put up a bit more resistance but still lost by a fairly wide margin on the scorecards. Ramírez, boxing out of the southpaw stance, had early success with the right jab and his left hand. However, Bivol eventually made the necessary adjustments to dominate the rest of the fight. The final scorecards read 118-110 and 117-111 (x2).
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.
