For the primary time in 10 fights, Dmitry Bivol scored a stoppage win Saturday with a sixth-round TKO of Malik Zinad to retain his WBA mild heavyweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

And now, Bivol (23-0, 11 KOs) will transfer onto an Oct. 12 undisputed mild heavyweight championship battle vs. Artur Beterbiev in Riyadh, per Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Normal Leisure Authority.

Bivol and Beterbiev had been set to battle Saturday earlier than the latter underwent surgical procedure final month to restore a ruptured meniscus. Libya’s Zinad (22-1, 16 KOs) stepped in lower than 30 days out and entered the ring a serious underdog in his first world title bid.

The 33-year-old Bivol floored Zinad within the opening spherical with a three-punch mixture and went on to outbox him over the subsequent 4 frames.

The Russian broke by means of in Spherical 6 with a left hook that rocked Zinad. Bivol adopted up with a barrage of punches alongside the ropes because the referee halted the motion with Zinad, 30, defenseless at 2:06.

“I consider that my energy is each time with me,” Bivol mentioned. “I did not have doubts, after all [my] energy [is] with me.”

Bivol owns a victory over the game’s prime star, Canelo Alvarez, and is ESPN’s No. 5 pound-for-pound boxer. His footwork is a few of the world’s greatest and so is his skill to regulate vary along with his jab.

“You’re among the best fighters ever and also you deserve this,” Alalshikh advised Bivol. “We provide for you 4 or 5 fights — large fights. We need to see you in opposition to [David] Benavidez, we need to see you in opposition to [Jai] Opetaia, in opposition to the powerful [opponents].”

Each are glorious potential matchups, however none as enticing because the October showdown with Beterbiev, a 39-year-old Russian with a 100% KO ratio. Beterbiev is one spot behind Bivol on ESPN’s pound-for-pound record. The bout vs. Bivol has been considered one of boxing’s most anticipated for years.