IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev's next title defense is reportedly agreed upon.
According to a report from ESPN's Dan Rafael, Beterbiev has agreed to a deal to fight Radivoje Kalajdzic on May 4. The fight would take place at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California and would be televised on ESPN.
The news comes shortly after Kalajdzic was placed in the IBF light heavyweight rankings, coming in at No. 13 which would make Kalajdzic eligible to challenge for a world title. Kalajdzic, who is also ranked No. 14 by the WBA, sports a 24-1 record with 17 knockout victories. Kalajdzic has won two straight fights since suffering his career loss back in 2016 when Kalajdzic lost a controversial split decision against interim WBA champion Marcus Browne.
It was previously reported that Beterbiev might have been set to face top five light heavyweight Sven Fornling, but that appears to no longer be the case. Beterbiev has held the IBF title since knocking out Enrico Koelling in 2017 in the main event of an ESPN-televised card from Fresno, California. Beterbiev would then go on to defend his title last October on a Matchroom Boxing USA card from Chicago, knocking out Callum Johnson in the fourth round of their fight.
The fight would fall on the same day as the WBA, WBC and IBF middleweight title unification bout between Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs. That fight, set to take place in Las Vegas, will be streamed on DAZN.
