For the first time in the four-belt era, two lithe heavyweights will face each other to fight for the undisputed championship.

On Saturday, October 12 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET), the WBC, WBO and IBF champion will face WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET) to unify all the major 175-pound belts.

The fight was scheduled to take place on June 1 this year, but a month before the fight, Beterbiev suffered a torn meniscus and underwent knee surgery, which forced a postponement. Instead of waiting, Bivol (23-0, 12 KO) fought Malik Zinad that day and scored a sixth-round TKO victory, his only stoppage win in his last 10 fights.

Beterbiev (20-0, 20) is the only boxing champion with a 100% KO rate. As of November 2017, he holds at least one lithe heavyweight title. Beterbiev unified his three belts in a second-round TKO victory over Joe Smith Jr. in June 2022 and has since made two successful defenses.

There are two other title fights on the card. Jai Opetaia defends her IBF cruiserweight title against Jack Massey, and Skye Nicolson puts her WBC featherweight belt on the line against Raven Chapman.

Where can I watch the Beterbiev vs. fight? Bivol on Saturday, October 12?

Beterbiev vs. fight Bivol’s undisputed lithe heavyweight title bout will air on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET.

Watch: Download the ESPN App | WatchESPN | TV

Don’t have ESPN? Find out how to get instant access today: ESPNInstantAccess.com

How to broadcast fights?

The fights will be broadcast on mobile devices using the ESPN application.

The undercard starts at 12:00 ET on DAZN.

Beterbiev vs. Bivol full card:

On ESPN+

• Title fight: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, 12 rounds, for Beterbiev’s WBC, WBO and IBF lithe heavyweight titles and Bivol’s WBA lithe heavyweight title

He DAZN

• Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke, 12 rounds, for the British heavyweight title

• Title fight: Jai Opetaia vs. Jack Massey, 12 rounds, for Opetaia’s IBF cruiserweight title

• Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Kamil Szeremeta, 12 rounds, middleweight

• Ben Whittaker vs. Liam Cameron, 10 rounds, lithe heavyweight

• Title fight: Skye Nicolson vs. Raven Chapman, 10 rounds, for Nicolson’s WBC featherweight title

• Mohammed Alakel vs. Jesus Gonzalez, 4 rounds, lightweight

Top stories:

Tim Bradley believes highly-ranked lightweight contender William Zepeda could lose next month to Tevin Farmer in a ten-round fight at “Latino Night” on Nov. 16 at The Venue in Riyadh.

The 34-year-old Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KO) is a wily former IBF super featherweight champion who is coming off a ten-round unanimous decision loss to Raymond Muratalla on July 13 in Paradise, Nevada.

WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson is expected to be next for Zepeda if he wins against Farmer and looks good doing it. If he loses, this fight is out of the question.

Zepeda has looked impressive recently, scoring knockouts against the following fighters:

– Giovanni Cabrera
– Maxi Hughes
– Mercito Gesta
– Jaime Arboleda

I would prefer Hughes and Cabrera over Farmer. These guys would be a gigantic problem for him in his career. Commentator Bradley believes Farmer has enough at this point in his 13-year career to likely defeat Zepeda (31-0, 27 KO). I don’t agree with this.

This will be another demolition task for Zepeda, which could be completed by the fourth unless Farmer keeps moving non-stop. That’s not how Farmer fights.

This would be a major blow to Zepeda’s Golden Boy-promoted career as he is ranked No. 1 in all four lightweight sanctioning bodies and is set to fight WBC champion Shakur Stevenson next February.

“If Zepeda can blow Farmer away, that’s a great statement because I don’t think Farmer is just showing up for a paycheck. Farmer is still fighting for victory. It’s about its structure and character. He’s not spineless, and when he shows up in the ring, he shows up to win,” said Paulie Malignaggi. Probox TVtalking about William Zepeda fighting Tevin Farmer on November 16 during “Latino Night” in Riyad.

Before Farmer’s loss to the highly sought-after Raymond Muratalla last July, he had won three straight, dating back to a loss to Joseph Diaz in 2020. Farmer is still in great shape. However, his problem is that he fights outside his natural weight class and against a great boxer, Zepeda.

“I like this fight because it can show us any shortcomings in Zepeda’s style. Yes, he’s a two-fisted destroyer, but could he be more against a guy with Tevin Farmer’s cunning and grit? That’s why this fight is really fascinating,” Malignaggi said.

Farmer will make Zepeda look bad at times early on, but once he warms up by the third game it will soon be over. Farmer won’t be able to take the shots Zepeda is firing at him without falling apart.

“You expect Zepeda to win because Farmer is on the other side of his best,” Malignaggi said. “But you don’t expect it to be as instructive as Zepeda was doing to these other guys.

“If he can get the better of Farmer like he did against the other guys, then it will be a more profound statement. He’s banging on the door, wanting to win the title. It is mandatory in all four [sanctioning bodies]. So the title fight should come soon,” Malignaggi said of Zepeda.

“It could backfire. I know what Golden Boy is trying to do, but Farmer is sneaky,” said Tim Bradley, who thinks Zepeda could lose. “This guy could win this fight. I saw it.

Farmer has nothing to stop Zepeda from taking him down and cutting him to pieces in this fight early on. Farmer is too feeble to fight a lightweight fighter like Zepeda.

“Zepeda is a type of shrimp [Mantis] it kills you. I saw it in one of the National Geographic specials,” Malignaggi said, referring to Zepeda’s nickname “Camaron.” “Zepeda is one of those types of shrimp. He is a striker. I’m not a fan of science, but there is a shrimp that means death [Mantis Shrimp]. I’m talking about the shrimp where you die. Zepeda is a type of shrimp.

Zepeda shouldn’t have any problems with the 34-year-old Farmer, but it will take him a few rounds to balmy up before he starts loading him up with combinations.

Alejandro Paulino wants to prove that he is a rising lightweight.

As manager Roland Estrada confirmed in an interview with The Ring, undefeated Paulino will face Toka Kahn Clary on November 2. The 10-round fight will take place at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Kahn Clary will be a step up in opposition, but Estrada is confident Paulino will rise to the occasion and make a statement to the rest of the 135-pounders.

“This will be the biggest fight of Alejandro’s compact but aggressive career,” Estrada told The Ring on Sunday evening. “Toka Kahn Clary is a great fighter who has fought and trained with many boxing legends. His reputation is highly regarded in our sport and especially in Modern England. We organized our camp as if Alejandro was fighting for the world title, so there will be no excuses.

“On Sunday morning (Nov. 3), we will find out if this kid (Paulino) is just another fighter or if he is one of the top lightweights in the lightweight division.”

Paulino (18-0, 14 knockouts), who lives in nearby Modern London, last fought on September 7, knocking out Luis Porozo in the first round. In his previous fight on March 23, Paulino overcame a lightning-quick first-round knockdown before knocking down Estivan Falcao in a round en route to a unanimous decision victory.

The 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic has fought 15 times this year for the Boston Butchers of the Team Combat League, which ended at the end of July. Paulino lost only one fight.

Paulino started boxing at the age of 18 and is promoted by longtime Modern England promoter Jimmy Burchfield.

Kahn Clary (29-3, 19 KO) has not fought since November 2022, defeating former junior lightweight world title challenger Jonathan Oquendo by unanimous decision. In his previous fight in December 2020, Kahn Clary lost a decision of over 10 one-sided rounds to Shakur Stevenson.

The 32-year-old fought on numerous top-level cards before losing by knockout to Jhon Gemino in September 2016. Southpaw Kahn Clary won his next six fights before losing a decision to former world featherweight champion Kid Galahad.

Kahn Clary is originally from Monrovia, Liberia and currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island. He has three wins over three undefeated fighters: Jose Haro, David Berna and John Moralde.

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