October isn't a great month for fights but there is one match-up that stands out on the boxing calendar. It's the light heavyweight showdown which is taking place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh as Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev battle for light heavyweight supremacy.
The winner of this contest will not only be crowned the undisputed champion at 175, but will earn distinction as one of the truly elite boxers in the sport today (alongside the likes of Naoya Inoue, Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk). Both are already on Ring Magazine's pound-for-pound list with Beterbiev at number six, and Bivol right behind him at seven.
A guaranteed spot into Canastota is also on the line for the victor.
So yeah, this bout is important. And it's one that for years didn't seem likely to come to fruition. It wasn't because of the two combatants, but really the politics and business of the sport. Both won version of titles at 175 in 2017 and then have seemingly circled each other from that point on. Only the most ignorant of fan would accuse either Bivol or Beterbiev of ducking one another.
Riyadh Season
The reality is that as this pair embarked on their career journeys with opposing promoters (Bivol eventually linked up with Matchroom Boxing, and Beterbiev with 'Eye of the Tiger' and then Top Rank), it meant that they were showcased on opposing platforms (DAZN and ESPN). So as they were piling up one title defense after another, and in Beterbiev's case, adding belts to his collection, they were two elite prizefighters existing on separate universes.
Things got so political, that the WBC -- which has never hesitated to state their own self-interest -- banned Bivol and the like from competing for their belt (which is held by Beterbiev) because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Never mind that both boxers are technically 'Russian'.
Also, the reality is that unlike other bouts which could bring rival promotional entities and networks together, because Bivol and Beterbiev were foreigners, this bout could never truly be a pay-per-view promotion. While it was a premiere boxing match-up, it was poor business. It was in a proverbial no-mans land, too big to be a regular network fight, but not nearly big enough to put behind a pay wall
Top Rank
But lo and behold, there was the creation of the 'Riyadh Season', which came armed with a hefty checkbook and a yearning to showcase boxing in Saudi Arabia. Turki Alalshikh has become their de facto commissioner and matchmaker. Madison Square Garden had Teddy Brener, the 'Riyadh Season' has Alalshikh. With that, bouts such as Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk that would have never taken place, are now happening.
Fortunately for hardcore fans, the battle of the B's was on his wish list, and it takes place this weekend -- and will be a non-pay-per-view offering on ESPN+.
It's the classic battle between boxer and puncher. Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) is a fencer, one who moves in-and-out with deft movement, and has the ability to batter you with 1-2's, if not knock you out. On the flip side, all Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) does is score knockouts. If Bivol is a scalpel who slices you up with precise incisions, Beterbiev is the human wrecking ball who just ruthlessly caves in everyone in front of him.
Matchroom Boxing
On a day when there is a loaded -- and I do mean, loaded -- college football slate, Bivol-Beterbiev is worth carving out a bit of time for on Saturday afternoon.
FINAL FLURRIES
Here's hoping that Janibek Alimkhanuly gets a unification bout at middleweight in his next contest. He butchered the too-game Andrei Mikhailovich in nine rounds in Australia on Friday....Nick Ball successfully defended his WBA featherweight title by stopping veteran, Ronny Rios, in 10 rounds....The Bivol-Beterbiev undercard will be broadcast on DAZN....Yes, I went to the Miam-Cal game at Berkeley. What a comeback!!... I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com....