Dmitry Bivol stops Malik Zinad, Beterbiev fight rescheduled for Oct. 12

Today's fight in Riyadh saw Dmitry Bivol easily defend his WBA light heavyweight championship title by stopping his opponent, Malik Zinad, in just the sixth round. Malik Zinad proved to be no match for Dmitry Bivol's skills in the ring.

Turki Alalshikh announced that the previously scheduled match between Bivol and Beterbiev has been changed to take place on Saturday, Oct. 12 in Saudi Arabia.

Bivol was originally scheduled to fight Beterbiev for the world title today, but Beterbiev's injury led to Bivol instead fighting an opponent ranked by the WBA in order to keep active. This highlights the flaws often found in sanctioning body rankings.

Zinad, with a record of 22 wins and 1 loss, 16 of which were knockouts, didn't have much recognition prior to the fight. Despite putting up a brave fight, it became evident quite swiftly, including a knockdown in the first round, that he simply didn't measure up to Bivol with a record of 23 wins and 0 losses, 12 of which were knockouts, as expected.

"I have to be attentive and prepared for October 12th," expressed Bivol. "This is my desired outcome."