Late sub for Artur Beterbiev, unbeaten 175-pound contender Malik Zinad had some things to say moments ago at the final presser before Saturday’s stacked card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Zinad, who was born in Libya but now resides in Malta, gets the biggest fight of his career against defending WBA light heavyweight champ Dmitry Bivol, and the 30-year-old with the 22-0(16) record says we should all get ready for a “surprise” on Saturday when he steps into the ring with Bivol, 22-0(11).
Zinad said there will be “blood” in the fight, a lot of it, and he also said there is going to be “an earthquake through the light heavyweight division.” In truth, not too many fans know too much about Zinad, but today, on the head stage/podium, the challenger sure came across as confident, hungry, and full of belief.
“Yes [I have mean intentions going into this fight] because that’s how I fight, I fight hard,” Zinad said earlier today. “Me and him, he’s going in there to fight, I’m going in there to fight. So there’s gonna be blood. My last fight (a decision win over Jerome Pampellone in April) was all blood, yeah…I say, [in] this fight [there] is gonna be more blood than the last fight. So, more heart, more punches, it’s gonna be crazy, it’s gonna be war. You will see something in this fight.”
Bivol looked utterly unfazed, if a little disappointed that he was not fighting Beterbiev in their massive four-belt unification showdown (Beterbiev, of course, having to pull out due to injury). Bivol thanked Zinad and his team for coming in and saving the show at late notice, and Bivol said he was excited to be fighting an unbeaten challenger.
Who knows, we could get a surprisingly good fight with this one. And a big surprise all around, according to Zinad. What price is the big upset? Right now, the latest odds have defending champ Bivol listed as a massive 25-1 betting favorite.
Zinad really has nothing to lose here. Zinad can punch some, he doesn’t know how to lose, and as 33 year old Bivol acknowledged, he is hungry.
