'I didn't want to postpone!' - Artur Beterbiev opens up on injury struggles before Dmitry Bivol battle

The WBC, IBF, and WBO title holder will face his rival four months after they were originally due to meet in June, atop the bill at Riyadh Season's IV Crown Showdown.

Beterbiev had been expected to challenge for Bivol's WBA belt in a hotly anticipated contest, but was forced to postpone on medical advice after he suffered a ruptured meniscus.

It is far from the first fitness problem the 39-year-old has been forced to contend with throughout his career, and he acknowledges that he battled to keep the original date.

"Injuries, I think, are part of sport," he told DAZN. "Injuries always come with sport, any sport. It happens.

"I tried to keep this fight [on track] but it is a little bit tough. Everyone said we should postpone, but I didn’t want to."

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Beterbiev nevertheless will get his chance against Bivol on October 12, in what is one of the most anticipated fights of the year at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.

The champion added that his road to the top of the world began when his siblings encouraged him to channel his aggression into the ring as a young boy.

"When I was a little kid, I had many fights in the street," he added. "My older brothers said to put this energy into sport, so I would have less fights in the street."

Beterbiev will be looking to extend his unbeaten professional record against Bivol, having secured 20 wins in 20 fights, all by knockout.

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