Dmitrii Bivol will remain on the June 1 bill after Artur Beterbiev withdrew with a knee injury, facing Malik Zinad instead.
The light heavyweight unification clash between WBA champion Bivol and Beterbiev, holder of the WBC, IBF and WBO belts, was one of the most-anticipated of the year and it is hoped the contest will be rescheduled for later in the year.
Beterbiev, 39, tore his meniscus.
“The mood in the gym has been the same as always,” said Beterbiev’s assistant trainer John Scully. “He was looking good in sparring and getting stronger as he always does. But he’s also the type who doesn’t complain. It just happened in a freak accident while working out… just the normal wear and tear of his hard training.”
Zinad is 22-0 (16 KOs), born in Libya but lives in Malta and he won what was deemed an eliminator for the IBF’s No. 2 spot against 18-0 Jerome Pampellone on April 24.
The 5x5 undercard for June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, remains unchanged, with Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang, Craig Richards vs. Willy Hutchinson, Raymond Ford vs. Nick Ball, Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois and Hamzah Sheeraz facing Austin “Ammo” Williams.
