Turki Alalshikh had already included the final chapter of the trilogy between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev in the Riyadh Season schedule for November 2025, but it seems plans have changed. According to American journalist Mike Coppinger, the two light heavyweights have expressed to the Saudi official their wish to stage their decisive third bout in Russia, which now appears likely to be postponed to 2026.
Bivol and Beterbiev first met on October 12, 2024, in Saudi Arabia, putting their belts and undefeated records on the line to unify all the light heavyweight world titles. Beterbiev came out on top that night, winning a Majority Decision thanks to a strong finish.
The rematch, held once again in Riyadh on February 22 of this year, had the opposite outcome: this time it was Bivol who won by Majority Decision, taking control in the second half of the bout after struggling against his opponent’s relentless pressure during the middle rounds.
To grant his countryman a third clash, Bivol vacated the WBC title, which he would have had to defend against mandatory challenger David Benavidez. As a result, Benavidez was awarded the world title without fighting.
According to Coppinger’s report, Alalshikh gave his approval to the two fighters, stepping aside from organizing the event, whose date is yet to be set. If the fight does indeed take place in 2026, as current rumors suggest, Beterbiev will step into the ring at 41 years of age and will likely be the underdog due to the age gap — a factor many believe already impacted the outcome of the February bout.