By Igor Lazorin, tass
Light heavyweight contender Artur Beterbiev of Russia plans to hold his next fight on June 4 before the start of Ramadan, according to the boxer's Canadian promoter Yvon Michel.
Earlier Beterbiev suffered a serious hand injury prior to being ordered to take part in a mandatory eliminator for the light heavyweight title of the International Boxing Federation (IBF). The current champion is Sergey Kovalev.
Beterbiev was replaced in the eliminator by Karo Murat, who was later knocked out by Sullivan Barrera. The Cuban fighter did not take his title shot and instead opted to face Andre Ward on Saturday. Ward won a twelve round unanimous decision.
"According to the plan, Beterbiev will return on June 4 as Ramadan will begin on the 6th," said Michel.
Beterbiev, who holds two amateur wins of Kovalev, has won all nine of his professional fights by knockout.
The Al Haymon managed boxer's last fight took place on June 12th of last year, with a seventh round stoppage of Alexander Johnson at the UIC Pavilion. With the victory he captured the vacant WBO International/WBA-NABA light heavyweight championships.
Beterbiev wants to have at least two to three more fights before going for a major opportunity against one of the main titleholders. The timeframe will depend on his performance in June.
