For the first time in 10 fights, Dmitry Bivol secured a stoppage win on Saturday with a sixth-round TKO over Malik Zinad, retaining his WBA light heavyweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This performance set the stage for an anticipated showdown with Artur Beterbiev on October 12 in Riyadh, as announced by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.
Bivol was initially slated to fight Beterbiev, but the latter's recent surgery for a ruptured meniscus led to Libya's Zinad stepping in as a late replacement. Despite being a major underdog, Zinad put up a valiant effort in his first world title bout, but Bivol's precision and power proved overwhelming.
The 33-year-old Bivol floored Zinad in the opening round with a three-punch combination and continued to outbox him for the next four rounds. The breakthrough came in Round 6 when Bivol rocked Zinad with a left hook and followed up with a relentless barrage of punches, forcing the referee to stop the fight at 2:06 as Zinad was left defenseless.
"I believe that my power is every time with me. I didn't have doubts, of course [my] power [is] with me."
With this victory, Bivol moves closer to an undisputed light heavyweight championship fight against Artur Beterbiev, a 39-year-old Russian with a 100% KO ratio. This long-anticipated bout between the two Russians promises to be one of boxing's most exciting matchups, given their impressive records and contrasting styles.
"You are one of the best fighters ever and you deserve this," Alalshikh told Bivol. "We offer for you four or five fights -- big fights. We want to see you against [David] Benavidez, we want to see you against [Jai] Opetaia, against the tough [opponents]."
While potential matchups with Benavidez and Opetaia are intriguing, the clash with Beterbiev stands out as the most attractive fight. Their bout is set to be one of the most anticipated in recent years.
Image Credit: X