Artur Beterbiev set to return against Deon Nicholson in Riyadh

It's the first time the Russian boxer will be fighting in a non-title fight in over five years

Former undisputed light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) will be fighting in a Riyadh Season ‘Night of the Champions’ card in Saudi Arabia on November 22, against American Deon Nicholson (22-1, 18 KOs), as confirmed by the Ring Magazine.

This fight will take place on the undercard of the event headlined by David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde.

Following his majority decision defeat to Dmitry Bivol in their undisputed light-heavyweight championship rematch in February, questions were raised to Artur Beterbiev about what was next for him. 

A trilogy decider against Bivol was the most expected outcome since both men had victories over one another, with the Russian defeating his rival in their first meeting last October.

The 38-year old has suggested that Bivol is trying to age him out and has decided to stay active despite a third fight not materialising.

He said on Instagram: “Dima, how old do I have to be so that we can fight for the third time”.

Beterbiev’s opponent, Deon ‘The Equalizer’ Nicholson (22-1, 18KOs) will be confident despite being a heavy betting underdog, coming into this bout on an eight-fight winning streak, winning his last matchup via a 4th round TKO. 

The 34 year old Alabama boxer is relatively unknown compared to his opponent but boasts a knockout percentage  of  78% and is the naturally bigger man, campaigning at Cruiserweight from 2016 to 2017.  

Beterbiev will be a major step up in competition for Nicholson who is yet to fight at world level and has already taken a loss in a WBA cruiserweight title eliminator fight in 2021.

This fight has put the trilogy decider for the undisputed title on hold and it is yet to be confirmed when both fighters will engage in talks.