Artur Beterbiev has proven himself to be one of the most fearsome punchers in boxing, amassing a perfect record of 20 victories with 20 stoppages.
What is more, the 39-year-old has shown few signs of deterioration, with arguably his most complete performance arriving against Callum Smith earlier this year.
Following his brutal seventh-round stoppage over the Brit, though, Artur Beterbiev was forced to pull out of his undisputed light heavyweight showdown with Dmitry Bivol – originally scheduled for June 1 – after sustaining a knee injury.
And so, after rupturing his meniscus in training, Beterbiev would have hoped for a speedy recovery ahead of his mouth-watering clash, headlining a stacked card in Saudi Arabia on October 12.
Roy Jones Jr assesses Artur Beterbiev’s chances against Dmitry Bivol
It could be said that Bivol, another unbeaten light heavyweight champion, enters his upcoming bout as the technically more gifted fighter.
In truth, the 33-year-old’s educated footwork – how he is able to seamlessly control the range of any fight – makes him different to any opponent Beterbiev has faced.
And this, according to legendary boxer Roy Jones Jr, is how Bivol will ultimately be able to exploit his opponent’s weaknesses.
“Beterbiev is a great puncher, but he’s been down a few times,” Jones told Fight Hub TV. “What does that tell me? A lot of people say it was balance – people say it was this, people say it was that.
“In my humble opinion, if you’ve been down two or three times already, being the puncher that you are, you’re either leaving yourself in a bad position where people are catching you, or you don’t take as good a punch as you throw.
“Both would be a mistake fighting Bivol, because he stays fundamentally sound with his feet.”
Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol star in medieval Riyadh Season trailer
While several boxing experts have picked Bivol to emerge as the king at 175 lbs, Beterbiev is still, in his own right, a formidable unified champion.
In fact, both combatants have proven to be fearless warriors in the heat of battle, with Riyadh Season’s latest trailer for the event providing an accurate illustration.
Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season – a Saudi Arabian sport and entertainment initiative – has been known to deliver several engaging promotional videos for their shows.
But, this time, it appears that the Game of Thrones-style portrayal is particularly apt, with both Beterbiev and Bivol looking to reign supreme over their kingdom.