Shakur Stevenson to make Saudi Arabia debut in co-main event of Beterbiev v Bivol

Stacked undercard for October 12 show will also feature Chris Eubank, Jai Opetaia, and the heavyweight rematch between Clarke and Wardley

WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson defends his title against Joe Cordina in the co-main event bout. AFP

American lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson will fight in Saudi Arabia for the first time on October 12 after the undercard for the undisputed light-heavyweight fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dimitry Bivol was announced on Wednesday.

Unbeaten Stevenson (22-0-0 10 KOs) will put his WBC world title on the line against Joe Cordina (17-1-0 9 KOs) in the co-main event bout at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Welsh fighter Cordina is aiming to become a two-weight world champion having lost his IBF super-featherweight title in a surprise stoppage defeat to Anthony Cacace in his last fight in Riyadh three months ago.

As has become commonplace for boxing events taking place under the Riyadh Season banner, the October 12 card is stacked with exciting matchups. Before Stevenson and Cordina enter the ring to conclude the undercard, British middleweight Chris Eubank Jr (33-3-0 24 KOs) will end 13 months of inactivity against Poland's Kamil Szeremeta (25-2-2 8 KOs).

Eubank had been in talks to fight unified super-middleweight world champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez before the Mexican opted to fight American Edgar Berlanga. A victory over Szeremeta is therefore essential if Eubank wants to secure a fight with Alvarez in the future.

Also on the undercard is a rematch of March's epic all-British heavyweight showdown between Frazer Clarke (8-0-1 6 KOs) and Fabio Wardley (17-0-1 16 KOs). Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Clarke and Wardley, the British and Commonwealth champion, fought to an exhilarating draw in London five months ago, so have been given the opportunity to settle their rivalry in Riyadh.

IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia (25-0-0 19 KOs) will fight in Riyadh for a third successive time when the Australian takes on European and Commonwealth title holder Jack Massey (22-2-0 12 KOs). Opetaia had hoped to secure a unification bout against WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith, but his offer reportedly went ignored. British fighter Massey, meanwhile, enters the bout following a career-best win over Isaac Chamberlain in June.

Elsewhere, rising light-heavyweight talent Ben Whittaker (8-0-0 5 KOs), who has generated attention for his showboating style, continues his career against fellow Briton Liam Cameron (23-6-0 10 KOs); Australian WBC lightweight champion Skye Nicolson (11-0-0 1 KO) defends her title against unbeaten British challenger Raven Chapman (9-0-0 2 KOs); and Saudi Arabian lightweight prospect Mohammed Alakel makes his professional debut against Colombia's Jesus Gonzalez (3-2-0 0 KO).

The main event fight between Beterbiev (20-0-0 20 KOs) and Bivol (23-0-0 12 KOs) will crown the best light-heavyweight on the planet. Beterbiev, who holds the WBC, WBO, and IBF belts, was scheduled to fight WBA title holder Bivol in June but the unified champion was forced to withdraw after sustaining a knee injury in training.

Bivol kept the date in Riyadh and knocked out late replacement Malik Zinad in the sixth round, securing his first stoppage win in seven years. The rearranged bout is expected to produce a clash of styles between boxing's most ferocious knockout artist Beterbiev, and the skill and style of Bivol.

Beterbiev has knocked out all of his 20 opponents so far, while Bivol shot to prominence in 2022 with a polished performance to defeat pound-for-pound superstar Alvarez.