Bivol TKOs Zindine, Sets Up Battle with Beterbiev in October

In a recent light heavyweight title clash, reigning WBA Super/IBO champion, Russian Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs), secured a sixth-round TKO victory over Libyan boxer Mehdi Zindine (22-1, 16 KOs), successfully defending his WBA world championship at 175 pounds for the 14th time, including interim title reigns.

The bout took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, serving as a significant undercard event prior to the main match between Zhang Zhilei and Deontay Wilder. There was a clear disparity in skill between the two, with Bivol flooring Zindine with a combination of left and right punches in the first round. From then on, Bivol maintained control, landing more potent shots and dominating the scorecards. In the sixth round, Bivol’s relentless combinations left Zindine unable to respond, prompting the referee to stop the fight at 2 minutes and 6 seconds into the round. This marked Bivol’s first TKO win since 2018.

With this triumph, the 33-year-old Bivol improves his professional record to 23 wins with no losses, 12 of those coming by way of knockout. He is currently ranked number one by BOXREC at 175 pounds and holds the sixth spot in The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings.

Bivol is now set to face unified WBC/IBF/WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) in an eagerly awaited unification bout on October 12. Originally, the two were scheduled to meet today, but Beterbiev had to postpone due to a knee meniscus tear.