The previously-announced IBF eliminator between Artur Beterbiev and Sullivan Barrera is good to go. Beterbiev took to Instagram today to respectfully announce that the two are set to fight on April 21st in Barrera’s hometown of Miami, Florida. The winner will become Andre Ward’s mandatory challenger.
A quick look at the calendar reveals that to be a Friday. Beterbiev promoter Yvon Michel, who won the purse bid, has worked with PBC on Spike before for Adonis Stevenson vs. Tommy Karpency and that would seem to be an ideal platform for this bout.
Beterbiev (11-0, 11 KO) was last seen obliterating the durable Isidro Ranoni Prieto in a single round last December. All but one of his fights have ended in under four rounds, the outlier a seventh-round stoppage of Alexander Johnson back in 2015.
Johnson went on to take Olympic gold medalist Egor Mekhontsev to a majority draw'last August.
Barrera (18-1, 13 KO) represents the step up we’ve been waiting for. His last seven wins have come by knockout and he recently rebounded from a loss to the aforementioned Ward by battering prospect Vyacheslav Shabranskyy into submission. He’s been dropped before, but his blend of craft and power is something Beterbiev has yet to face as a pro.
We’ll pass along undercard and broadcast details as they emerge.