"The doctors insisted on postponing" - Artur Beterbiev releases statement after injury concerns force withdrawal from Dmitry Bivol clash

Artur Beterbiev released a statement after being forced to postpone his highly-anticipated boxing match against Dmitry Bivol.

There aren't many potential boxing matches that have been called for more by fans than Beterbiev vs Bivol. Not only are both fighters undefeated, but Bivol holds the WBA light heavyweight world title, which is the missing piece for Beterbiev to become the undisputed king.

Unfortunately, Beterbiev vs Bivol has been postponed from the main event of the 5 vs 5 competition between Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Boxing on June 1. Beterbiev suffered a ruptured meniscus and must undergo surgery, leaving him sidelined for several months.

Beterbiev recently released a statement about the situation on Instagram by saying:

"Unfortunately, injuries in professional sports are not uncommon, and they can hurt everybody. I sincerely did not want the upcoming fight to be postponed, but the doctors insisted on postponing. I thank everyone who has already bought tickets, this fight will definitely take place but a little later. Thank you all for your support."

Beterbiev last fought on January 13, defeating Callum Smith by seventh-round TKO to extend his professional boxing record to 20-0 (20 KO/TKOs). Meanwhile, Bivol is coming off a unanimous decision win against Lyndon Arthur in December 2023, pushing his record to 22-0 (11 KO/TKOs).

Check out Artur Beterbiev's statement about his injury below:

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Is the 5 vs 5 competition between Queensberry and Matchroom postponed due to Artur Beterbiev's injury?

Dmitry Bivol could reportedly face a different opponent to replace Artur Beterbiev on June 1 and maintain the 5 vs 5 landscape between Queensberry and Matchroom. In the meantime, the main event is expected to be a heavyweight matchup between Deontay Wilder (unaffiliated) and Zhilei Zhang (Queensberry).

Another heavyweight fight will take place earlier in the night, as Filip Hrgovic (Matchroom) and Daniel Dubois (Queensberry) go toe-to-toe in the proposed co-main event. A win for either fighter would be a significant step toward a heavyweight world title shot.

The other fights announced are WBA super featherweight world champion Raymond Ford (Matchroom) vs Nick Ball (Queensberry), Austin Williams (Matchroom) vs Hamzah Sheeraz (Queensberry), and Craig Richards (Matchroom) vs Willy Hutchinson (Queensberry).