BOXING
Beterbiev vs Bivol fight format: rounds, weigh-in, rules...
Riyadh hosts Saturday’s showdown between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev in which a new light heavyweight champion will be crowned.
Artur Beterbiev (20-0) and Dmitrii Bivol (23-0) face-off for the undisputed light heavyweight crown in an all-Russian bout at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this weekend.
It’s been over 20 years since we last saw an undisputed light heavyweight champion - Roy Jones Jr was the most recent to unifying the WBA, World Boxing Council (WBC), and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titles, his reign as unified champion lasting three years from 1999 to 2002. This will be the first time that all four major world titles have been contested during the modern, four-belt era.
How many rounds will the Beterbiev vs Bivol fight go to?
The fight will subjected to the standard WBC rules and therefore adhere to the restriction of 12 three-minute rounds with a one-minute rest period. As explained in Article III.27 of the WBC rules and regulations: “World title bouts between male boxers shall be twelve (12) rounds of three (3) minutes each in duration. In order to ensure safety of all boxers, no WBC champion or challenger will be authorized to compete at any event with any bout of over twelve (12) rounds. Associated WBC titles may be competed at 12 rounds or less, as ordered by the affiliated entity or committee, or by agreement between the WBC and the local commission”.
As for knockdowns: There is no automatic TKO with three knockdowns in one round. There is no standing eight count. There will be a mandatory eight count after a knockdown (when three parts of the body touch the canvas).
Three judges using the 10-point must system. Partial rounds will be scored if necessary to render a decision.
The referee is the only person with the authority to stop the bout. The ring doctor may recommend stoppage by handing the red card on to the referee, who will make the final decision. Saturday’s fight will be overseen by American ref Thomas Taylor - this will be the 674th fight that he has overseen.
The weigh-in is scheduled for Friday 11 October at 7 p.m. local time AST - that’s 12 noon ET in New York, and 9 a.m. PT in Los Angeles. The Beterbiev-Bivol ringwalk is not expected before 1 a.m. local time (6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT Saturday 12 October in the US).
The main event is expected to begin at around 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT Saturday 12 October in the United States.
Viewers in the US can watch the Beterbiev vs Bivol fight and full undercard on ESPN+.