Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev start time, full fight card details

TLDR: DAZN’s undercard matches start at 12 noon ET (5 p.m. UK), with Bivol vs. Beterbiev main event kicking off around 6 p.m. ET later this afternoon.

If this isn’t the biggest light heavyweight fight in boxing’s history, it’s way, way up the list. Boxing historians can point to Archie Moore vs. Floyd Patterson in 1956, Roy Jones Jr. vs. Antonio Tarver in 2004, Bernard Hopkins vs Joe Calzaghe in 2008 and Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev in 2016 as rivals to the significance, but there’s no denying that this is right up there, and might be bigger than any of those.

We’ve got undefeated IBF, WBC and WBO champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KO) taking on undefeated WBA champion Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KO) live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, tonight (Sat., Oct. 12, 2024) to crown boxing’s first undisputed Light Heavyweight champion in the four-belt era. It all starts with the undercard kicking off at 12 noon ET (5 p.m. UK), with Bivol vs. Beterbiev main event kicking off around 6 p.m. ET.

Plenty of time for superlatives, but let’s talk fisticuffs. The 2022 Ring Magazine fighter of the year (due to his big wins over Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez), Bivol is a world-renowned tactician and boxer par excellence. His footwork, angles, counter-punching and ability to control the pace to whatever he feels like are second to none. His speed and timing have made him one of the best LHW’s in the sport, and at 33, he is close to the peak of his powers.

His dance partner is Artur Beterbiev, who has the opportunity to possibly end his career, should he retire after this fight, with a perfect, undefeated record and (potentially) never having seen the judges scorecards. An absolutely fearsome puncher, Beterbiev has basically destroyed everyone in his path over the past 11 years, including the likes of champions Joe Smith Jr., Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Callum Smith. It’s a massive disservice, however, to simply call the Russian a big hitter — he’s also an exceptional technician with a beautiful piledriver of a jab that he’ll happily use in multiples.

At age 39, Beterbiev is on the tail-end of his career, and it’s entirely possible that a big win would be a swan song, as he would be the undisputed, undefeated, perfect knockout artist and could ride off into the sunset having accomplished everything in the sport. It’s also worth nothing that he is coming off a major knee injury that delayed this fight from earlier this year. As noted, however, he is one of the biggest thumpers in the division and power is the last thing to go.

It seems that the likeliest paths to victory for either men are the opposite ends of the spectrum. Bivol is expected to hold the speed advantage, and will likely want to work on the outside, while Beterbiev — as he does in every match — holds the power advantage, and he loves to work on the inside, swarming opponents with heavy combinations. It’s a great fight on paper and the bookies have Bivol as a very slight favorite, floating around a -130 to -150 float while Beterbiev is sitting at about +125 almost across the board.

Can Beterbiev catch Bivol? My personal prediction is no, I think Bivol takes this, likely by a decision, but a late-round stoppage isn’t out of the question, either.

Complete Bivol Vs. Beterbiev Fight Card, Start Times

The main event is expected to air at roughly 6 p.m. ET, while the six bouts of the undercard are expected to begin at 12 p.m. ET. The “Prelims” portion of the evening will stream live on DAZN (watch it here), whereas the main event will also simulcast on ESPN+.

Main Event

Light Heavyweight: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol

Undercard

Heavyweight: Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke 2
Cruiserweight: Jai Opetaia vs. Jack Massey
Middleweight: Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Kamil Szeremeta
Featherweight: Skye Nicolson vs. Raven Chapman
Light Heavyweight: Ben Whittaker vs. Liam Cameron
Lightweight: Mohammaed Alakel vs. Jesus Gonzalez

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