Artur Beterbiev vs. Meng Fanlong - September 25 , 2020 (Postponed)

[Ruthless-RKO]

Chinese promoter Longjoy Sports on Monday surprisingly won the purse bid for the mandatory fight between unified light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev and Meng Fanlong after their promoters were unable to make a deal.

Longjoy Sports, which has worked with Fanlong promoter Roc Nation Sports in the past and will co-promote the fight with RNC, bid $1.9 million at the auction at the IBF offices in Springfield, New Jersey, where Roc Nation Sports promoter Dino Duva submitted the winning offer on Longjoy Sports' behalf. The Longjoy Sports bid beat the only other offer, which was a $1.315 million bid made by Beterbiev promoter Top Rank.

It is far more common for a champion's promoter to win a purse bid than the challenger's because the champion gets so much more of the money. Beterbiev, as the champion, is entitled to 65% of the winning bid, which means Longjoy Sports must pay him $1.235 million. Meng is entitled to 35% of the bid amount ($665,000).

Duva told ESPN that the plan is to put the bout on in late March or early April in China, Meng's home country.

"They will stage the event in China, but we are waiting on the exact date and the venue, but we will co-promote the show with them," Duva said. "The preliminary indications are that the fight will be in either Shanghai or Macau, but that could change."

Had Top Rank won the bid, the company hoped to put the fight on in either Montreal or Quebec City. Beterbiev, who was a two-time Russian Olympian, relocated to Montreal for his professional career and has lived there since turning pro in 2013.

"(Longjoy Sports) won the bid and the other details are still being worked out as we speak, but we consider Artur to be the best light heavyweight in the world," Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.

The 34-year-old Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs), who is one of boxing's most devastating punchers, won a 175-pound world title in 2017 and has made three successful defenses, but none bigger than in his last fight. On Oct. 18, in Philadelphia in the main event of a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card, Beterbiev knocked out Oleksandr Gvozdyk in the 10th round of an action-packed fight to unify two world titles.

Meng (16-0, 10), 31, a southpaw, won a unanimous decision against then-undefeated Adam Deines on June 1 in Macau in a world title elimination bout to become Beterbiev's mandatory challenger. Meng returned for a second-round knockout of Gilberto Rubio on Oct. 5 in a stay-busy fight before his chance to fight for the world title.

ESPN

[JxhDel.]

Bombs will be thrown in.

[margaret thatcher]

F@ck ya, a good ol communism clash

[1okstcsb]

F@ck ya, a good ol communism clash

Russia has not been Communist since 1991 They are Authoritarian though.

Rumors are Beterbiev does not want to fight in China, do to the Trayment of Muslims in China (Over a Million are in Re-education camps)

[margaret thatcher]

Hmm, then I guess this would be a primitive clash, venting years of frustration..

[3132DW]

Buatsi is next in line after Meng in the IBF rankings.

[Nondescript]

I've not seen Meng fight, how good is he, and will he provide a decent test for Artur?

[Cent0089]

This 6 months intervals between fights are disgusting, especially with this poor matchup

[Ruthless-RKO]

Lots of doubt this happens. Good on Artur.

It’s like Usyk not wanting to fight in Russia, although he did anyway.

Some might say this is a bigger stance. Does he drop his IBF belt?

He still has the WBC belt.

[Cent0089]

Lots of doubt this happens. Good on Artur.

It’s like Usyk not wanting to fight in Russia, although he did anyway.

Some might say this is a bigger stance. Does he drop his IBF belt?

He still has the WBC belt.

I am wondering what is going on in light heavyweight. Beterbiev and Bivol both have not scheduled fight. Meantime, there ara Jessie Hart - Joe Smith and Michael Seals-Eleider Alvarez fights. All this under Top rank boxing.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Lots of doubt this happens. Good on Artur.

It’s like Usyk not wanting to fight in Russia, although he did anyway.

Some might say this is a bigger stance. Does he drop his IBF belt?

He still has the WBC belt.

I am wondering what is going on in light heavyweight. Beterbiev and Bivol both have not scheduled fight. Meantime, there ara Jessie Hart - Joe Smith and Michael Seals-Eleider Alvarez fights. All this under Top rank boxing.

Top Rank has most LHW’s

[Cent0089]

I am wondering what is going on in light heavyweight. Beterbiev and Bivol both have not scheduled fight. Meantime, there ara Jessie Hart - Joe Smith and Michael Seals-Eleider Alvarez fights. All this under Top rank boxing.

Top Rank has most LHW’s

I forgot on Gilberto Ramirez, who has also no fight scheduled. Can we expect big things in LHW this year ? I am also wondering if Gvozdyk can bounce back from that loss

[Ruthless-RKO]

Top Rank has most LHW’s

I forgot on Gilberto Ramirez, who has also no fight scheduled. Can we expect big things in LHW this year ? I am also wondering if Gvozdyk can bounce back from that loss

Hope so. He’s not a bad fighter at all and boxed well against Artur

[boxing_rocks]

I forgot on Gilberto Ramirez, who has also no fight scheduled. Can we expect big things in LHW this year ? I am also wondering if Gvozdyk can bounce back from that loss

Hope so. He’s not a bad fighter at all and boxed well against Artur

He can still beat everybody else at 175.

[Cent0089]

Hope so. He’s not a bad fighter at all and boxed well against Artur

He can still beat everybody else at 175.

Maybe. But is there any news about him since that loss ?

[JMac]

F@ck ya, a good ol communism clash

Russia has not been Communist since 1991 They are Authoritarian though.

Rumors are Beterbiev does not want to fight in China, do to the Trayment of Muslims in China (Over a Million are in Re-education camps)

He also is probably not a fan of China since he got robbed against a Chinese boxer in the Beijing olympics. I was the referee and had I known the fix was in I would have taken points away from the Chinese boxer for holding which he did a lot of but would break when I told him to. It wouldn’t have mattered since the fix was in to get the Chinese boxer the gold. In the finals against Kenny Egan from Ireland, Kenny would land a punch and the Chinese boxer would get the point. Bad stuff.

[boxing_rocks]

He can still beat everybody else at 175.

Maybe. But is there any news about him since that loss ?

He is preparing to his next fight:

[HYChen]

I don't think this card will fight in China.
Beterbiev is a pious Muslim and I think I saw a source stating that he did not want to fight in China.
The promoter has to find a neutral country to fight.

[Ruthless-RKO]

I don't think this card will fight in China.
Beterbiev is a pious Muslim and I think I saw a source stating that he did not want to fight in China.
The promoter has to find a neutral country to fight.

What about if they fight in Macao? Not exactly China is it? Or even Hong Kong?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Beterbiev-Meng: Top Rank Claims Promotional Rights

Artur Beterbiev no longer has to worry about making a personal compromise for the sake of going through with his next fight.

The unbeaten World light heavyweight champion will now get to call the shots for his next title defense, which is due to come in early spring versus mandatory challenger Fanlong Meng. Promotional rights for the bout have landed in the hands of Top Rank Inc., Beterbiev’s promoter after Rejoy Group and Longjoy Sports defaulted on the original terms of the purse bid.

Journal de Montreal's Mathieu Boulay was the first to report the development.

A purse bid hearing held at International Boxing Federation (IBF) headquarters on December 30 saw Roc Nation Sports’ Dino Duva—Meng’s stateside promoter—submit a massive bid of $1.9 million on behalf of Andrew Lu’s Rejoy Group to secure promotional rights for the ordered title fight.

Terms of the hearing called for the winning bidder to place a non-refundable 10% deposit of the total purse amount at the time of the purse bid, with another 10% deposit to be submitted no later than five (5) business days later.

That time frame has come and gone with such terms being honored, which nullifies the winning bid. As such, it places the rights back in the hands of Top Rank Inc., who submitted a bid of $1.315 million at the time of the December 30 session. BS.com has learned that plans call for Beterbiev (15-0, 15KOs)—a two-time Olympian for his native Russia who is now based in Canada—to defend his title in late March either in Quebec City or Montreal.

It’s a drastic switch from Beterbiev—a devout Muslim—mulling the possibility of having to travel to China, in light of its government’s accused ethnic cleansing of Uighur Muslims, roughly one million of whom are currently being held in mass detention in the Xinjiang province.

With the latest development comes a sigh of relief, as it is now Beterbiev who will presumably enjoy hometown advantage for his first fight since becoming a unified titlist and lineal light heavyweight champion. The 34-year old knockout artist—who has stopped all 15 pro opponents to date—surged to the top of the 175-pound mountain following a 10th round knockout of previously unbeaten Oleksandr Gvozdyk in their unification clash last October in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Overall, Beterbiev will make the fourth overall defense of his IBF title, which he claimed in a 12th round stoppage of Enrico Koelling in November 2017. The bout marked the lone time in his career in which Beterbiev has been extended that deep in a prizefight. Wedged in between his two title-claiming wins were knockout victories over Callum Johnson and Radivoje Kalajdzic.

The latter served as an ESPN-televised headliner this past May five months prior to laying claim as the best light heavyweight on the planet following his stoppage win over Gvozdyk in October, also on ESPN. His title defense versus China’s Meng (16-0, 10KOs) will likely be carried on an ESPN platform, be it linear TV or on its ESPN+ streaming service.

Either way, Top Rank gets its wish to stage this defense in Canada, to where Beterbiev relocated upon turning pro in 2013, one year after the second of two Olympic tours for his native Russia at the amateur heavyweight limit in 2012 London.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Maybe the Chinese gave it up cuz they didn’t want to make too much noise..

[HYChen]

I don't think this card will fight in China.
Beterbiev is a pious Muslim and I think I saw a source stating that he did not want to fight in China.
The promoter has to find a neutral country to fight.

What about if they fight in Macao? Not exactly China is it? Or even Hong Kong?

Hong Kong is definitely impossible. They've been practically at war with China for invading their rights.
I have no idea where they should fight.
There might be a chance they fight in China though, suppose they offer a huge amount of money.

[Ruthless-RKO]

What about if they fight in Macao? Not exactly China is it? Or even Hong Kong?

Hong Kong is definitely impossible. They've been practically at war with China for invading their rights.
I have no idea where they should fight.
There might be a chance they fight in China though, suppose they offer a huge amount of money.

Arum has said it likely takes place on Canada. Where Beterbiev currently resides.

[Betro09]

He should put on some shirt after knocking him out, to image what Chinese goverment doing to Uighur Turks/Muslims, since nobody in the world seems to know what’s going on in China. It is a good opportunity to show the world.

And it would make him more than a boxer, more than a world champion.

[Ruthless-RKO]

He should put on some shirt after knocking him out, to image what Chinese goverment doing to Uighur Turks/Muslims, since nobody in the world seems to know what’s going on in China. It is a good opportunity to show the world.

And it would make him more than a boxer, more than a world champion.

Like an ‘Ali’ thing to do.

Thing is, the evidence is there, people, states, countries, they all know what’s going on there, but they’re choosing to ignore it. Carrying on like normal.

At work, we partnered up with Amnesty International. And one of the cases was an Egyptian man, newly married, has been taken away from his wife and child and in these detention camps.

So you know what. I hope Beterbiev puts on a show and does either say or wear something..