Who will be the undisputed world light heavyweight champ?

When Artur Beterbiev and Dmitrii Bivol stepped into the ring in October 2024, the anticipation was feverish. Beterbiev was WBC, WBO and IBF light heavyweight champ, while Bivol brought the WBA and IBO belts to the fight. Pundits and fans couldn’t separate the two on paper: it was a genuinely unpredictable and exciting title fight.

And the event itself lived up to its billing: it was a gripping and close encounter in which Beterbiev was taken the distance for the very first time, in the 21st fight of his career. And at the bell, Beterbiev was named undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world – the first fighter to hold that title since Roy Jones Jr in 2002.

We’ve got good news for fans: on Saturday 22 February they’re doing it all over again. You can watch The Last Crescendo: Beterbiev v Bivol II live on TNT Sports Box Office with Virgin Media. The fight is being staged at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and it’s part of a great night of boxing that fans will love. Here’s what you need to know.

Beterbiev came to the previous bout having knocked out 20 opponents in 20 fights. Bivol couldn’t match that, but he had seen off some impressive opponents, including England’s Craig Richards and four-division champ Canelo Álvarez. When their meeting was delayed because of an injury to Beterbiev, the anticipation only grew.

Bivol had the better of the earlier rounds, his more fluid movement causing problems for his opponent. As the fight progressed, though, Beterbiev’s greater power gave him the upper hand. Every round was extremely close and one judge scored it 114-114, but with the other two ruling in Beterbiev’s favour, it was the Russian-born, Canada-based boxer who had his hand raised.

Both fighters congratulated their opponent on a high-quality contest and hinted at a rematch in their post-fight comments. “I felt I could do better, I always feel I can do better,” Bivol said. “I didn’t like this fight, but I’ll be better one day,” was Beterbiev’s verdict. It was just a matter of time – and four months later, here we are.

“I’m expecting [a] very good fight,” Bivol says. “And I believe in my skills. I hope I will do all my best and I will be better than last time. “I think it will be more action… I have to do it not only [in the] last rounds – I have to do it all fight. I have to win each round without a doubt.”

Beterbiev’s view is simple. “I want to defend my belts. I was happy with the first fight because I won. We’ll do something different for this fight. We’re working on it.”

Bivol also says you can expect something different from him. “All athletes want to win. Just like gamblers. Of course, I didn’t win last time, and I really want to win – it’s burning inside of me. I want to change something because I can see where I was wrong at some points. And I want to change it.”

Unfortunately the scheduled co-headline bout, Britain’s Daniel Dubois v Joseph Parker of New Zealand for Dubois’ IBF world heavyweight title, isn’t happening. Dubois pulled out through illness and was replaced by Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole, who should give the experienced Parker (pictured above, right) a run for his money.

It’s still a stacked undercard, though, with a number of mouth-watering world title fights. Shakur Stevenson defends his WBC lightweight belt against his fellow American Floyd Schofield, who’s as yet undefeated, while British middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz challenges WBC champ Carlos Adames. There’s more heavyweight action too, as Zhilei Zhang contests the vacant WBC interim championship against Agit Kabayel.

And don’t miss the start of the event, when you can see an all-British light heavyweight bout between Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith. The winner of this fight could soon find himself in line for a high-profile (and highly lucrative) meeting with whoever ends up as undisputed champ after the headline bout. Buatsi is undefeated and holds the WBO interim title as well as being British and Commonwealth champ, but don’t rule out Smith, a former world champ whose only losses have come against Álvarez and Beterbiev.

You can see this light heavyweight showdown on TNT Sports Box Office with Virgin Media from 4pm on Saturday 22 February. It’s available to order from 10am on Tuesday 18 February and costs £19.99 (HD only). The event is repeated every three hours from 9am on Sunday 23 February until 9pm on Monday 24 February (last playout).

To watch this event, you must have a TiVo^® box, Virgin TV V6 box, powered by TiVo^®, a Virgin TV 360 box or Flex.

TiVo^® and V6 customers: Go to Home > On Demand > Live Events or press On Demand and go to Live Events. Press the red button then choose the event and follow the instructions on screen. A TV PIN may not be required. To view your booking, once purchased, go to On Demand > Live Events > Event Bookings.

Virgin TV 360 and Flex customers: Go to Home > Pay Per View Events rail. Press OK, then choose the event and follow the instructions on screen. A TV PIN may not be required. To view your booking, once purchased, go to Home > Pay Per View Events rail.

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