Beterbiev Injured & Alalshikh Needs a Replacement to Face Bivol
In the latest swift kick to the gonads, boxing fans have just endured the postponement of unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KO’s) versus WBA 175-pound champion Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KO’s). The invigorating June 1 bout for undisputed was sidelined by a ruptured meniscus suffered by Beterbiev. As it stands, a replacement opponent is being sought, but who will it be? Perhaps Joshua Buatsi or, if wishing on a star, David Benavidez.
One reason that these matches are on the table is due to this card being the product of Saudi Chairman Turki Alalshikh. It’s well known that the wealthy boxing enthusiast is throwing Scrooge McDuck type of money at fighters to get major cards up and running. Therefore, it’s not illogical to believe he might throw a bag at this problem as well.
SERVING THE NEXT IN LINE
If looking the sanctioning bodies, #1 (WBA), #1 (WBC), #1 (WBO) and #3 (IBF) ranked Joshua Buatsi (18-0, 13 KO’s) has the best case of being next in line. Not only is he the mandatory for both, Beterbiev and Bivol, he technically should be available to answer the call of duty. Buatsi was last in action against rival Dan Azeez this past February 3.
Obviously, the biggest hindrance to this duel is catching Buatsi at this late stage. Even if he agreed today, that only gives him roughly four weeks to train for the most important fight of his career. Even though the belt is on the line, the Ghanaian fighter may err on the side of caution and pass if presented with the offer.
MONSTER HUNTER
While a bit more complicated, two-time super middleweight champion David “The Monster” Benavidez (28-0, 24 KO’s) would be the higher profile fight. Unlike Buatsi, Benavidez is already in a camp preparing to dance with Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15. For this reason, he should already be deep into preparation. There still is the lingering loose end of Gvozdyk, though.
Going back to the Chairman Alalshikh, ideally he would be able to provide the Ukrainian enough step aside money to make him happy. With that potentially taken care of, Bivol vs Benavidez is a wildly exciting fight and a serious challenge for both men.
Even better, the two have shared the ring together as sparring partners and thus have an established storyline. Yet, for the time being, both of these match-ups are purely theoretical and of the “wish list” variety. Still, it will be interesting to see who Turki Alalshikh can drum up last minute with his tsunami of a cash flow.
