Saturday sees the most highly anticipated light-heavyweight showdown in years will take place when Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol meet for the undisputed 175-pound championship.

Probably.

We think.

Skepticism about the realization of a fight between Beterbiev and Bivol – and that is clear is what actually happens after both fighters took part in a predictably boring press conference on Thursday – is well founded. The two best light heavyweights, what the two best light heavyweights have been for yearshave had several stops and starts, the most recent of which scrapped a planned date in June after Beterbiev suffered a knee injury.

For now – fingers crossed – that’s it.

“I want a good fight,” Beterbiev said. “I’m preparing for a good fight.

Bivol said, “I’m just different. That’s why it’s such an interesting fight.”

Polite nonsense aside, this isn’t just a good fight. On paper it is one Great fight. “The best fight in boxing,” boasted Bivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn. Beterbiev (20–0) is a destroyer, the only champion to have knocked out every opponent. This past January, Beterbiev faced Callum Smith, a younger, taller ex-super middleweight titleholder who had blown away his first two opponents at 175 pounds. After seven rounds of penalties, Smith’s corner threw in the towel.

Bivol (23–0) is more of a boxer than a puncher, a fluid, fun-loving fighter who prefers to keep his opponents at bay. If Beterbiev has the more attractive style, Bivol wins on CV. By 2022, Bivol knocked off Canelo Álvarez– the first fighter to beat Canelo in almost a decade. Months later, Bivol handed Gilberto Ramírez his first career defeat. Bivol can sometimes give maddening performances (lackluster decisions on Craig Richards and Lyndon Arthur, for example), but he’s at his best when the lights are brightest.

And these two have history. They were amateur teammates in Russia. Sparring partners, as Beterbiev remembers, “a long time ago.” Beterbiev became a two-time Olympian and won gold medals in European and world competitions. Bivol, a few years after him, collected a lot of international hardware himself. Both have said the fight is not personal. One doesn’t seem to like the other much either.

“I don’t think you have to sell this one to fight fans,” Hearn said. “They know the educated fight fans, the casual fight fans, it doesn’t really matter. The rest of the world needs to know how big this fight is.”

They will…won’t they? If there is any concern about Beterbiev-Bivol, it is that it is happening a few years too late. The two have been title holders since 2017 and the only champions at 175 pounds since 2022, when Beterbiev defeated Joe Smith Jr. blew to collect his third title. Money has been an obstacle. As skilled as both are, neither has the kind of ticket-buying fans or pay-per-view sales power to justify the exorbitant purses for this event. The presence of Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi official who has spent lavishly on these types of events, is the only reason this fight is happening.

And it’s great that that is the case is happens. But there are questions. Mostly about Beterbiev, whose physical problems have been well documented in recent years. Four of his last six fights have been postponed due to injury. Last May, Beterbiev, 39, required surgery to repair a torn meniscus. All week he has maintained that he is healthy. “There is no problem,” said his trainer, Marc Ramsay. But with only five months of recovery time, it’s fair to wonder if that’s possible.

“I think injuries are part of the sport,” Beterbiev said. “Injuries are always part of sport, any sport. It happens.”

That’s true, although they seem to happen to Beterbiev often. He has had several procedures on his knees. Last year his fight with Callum Smith was postponed after Beterbiev required dental surgery to repair a bone infection in his jaw. During his open workout this week, Beterbiev did some stretching, some hand-eye coordination exercises… and not much else.

Physically, Bivol, 33, has fewer questions. He has been active (Saturday’s fight will be Bivol’s third in the last ten months) and often fights better in bigger moments. He asserted himself physically against Álvarez and used superior footwork to confuse Ramírez.

“Every time I think about my opponents I get excited,” Bivol said. “One of them (Álvarez) is the face of boxing. It was exciting to fight this guy. Another (Ramírez) had about 50 fights and never lost. So it makes me more excited, not nervous. And Arthur is a great champion. He has what I want. He has the belts. And it’s not just about belts. When I look at his skills, I also want to compare my skills with this great fighter.

If boxing is guilty of anything, it’s marinating matchups. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fought years past their prime. The same goes for Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. Gervonta Davis’ fights against Vasyl Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson are still in a holding pattern. Attempts to squeeze out every nickel damaged the product.

Will Beterbiev-Bivol be different? It’s all lined up. Top two light heavyweights, the chance to be crowned the first undisputed 175-pound champion since Roy Jones Jr. and the first ever in the four-band era. It could be a great night for boxing. Or it could be something else.