Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) received a bruised rib and will not be able to train for several weeks. This means that the fight of the Russian against Adam Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs), scheduled for October 23 in Moscow, as a defense of his IBF and WBC light heavyweight belts, will be postponed to a later date. There are no details about the new date yet.
Initially, Beterbiev was supposed to cross gloves in the fall with Fanlong Meng, who is the official contender for the IBF belt. A boxer from China, due to travel restrictions associated with the coronavirus pandemic, would have trouble returning to his country after visiting Russia, and he gave up his chance to win the championship.
On the October evening, a WBO light heavyweight eliminator was also appointed between Umar Salamov (25-1, 19 KOs) and Maxim Vlasov (45-3, 26 KOs). The winner of this fight will contest the vacant world title against Joe Smith. It is not yet known whether this battle will be postponed as well.
