Artur Beterbiev might fight undefeated knockout puncher Najee Lopez. This news comes as the trilogy bout with Dmitry Bivol hangs in the balance.
Beterbiev and Bivol have been the top dogs at light heavyweight for years. They've traded wins in their two previous meetings. Beterbiev won the first fight in October 2024 by majority decision, adding Bivol's WBA belt to his WBC, WBO, and IBF titles. Bivol got his revenge in February, handing Beterbiev his first pro loss, also by majority decision.
Everyone expected a third fight to settle the score. Bivol even gave up his WBC belt to make it happen. But things have gone quiet lately. Beterbiev's been asking questions on social media about the hold-up.
Now, it looks like Beterbiev's getting tired of waiting. He's thinking about taking another fight in the meantime. The name that's come up is Najee Lopez, a young gun with a perfect 14-0 record and 11 knockouts.
WBO welterweight champ Brian Norman Jr., who's good friends with Lopez, seemed to confirm the rumors on social media. He posted:
"Y'all about to learn about the south. Sleep on us if you want."
If this fight happens, it'll shake things up in the light heavyweight division. And it'll leave a big question mark over that trilogy fight with Bivol.
