Back Dmitry Bivol to stop Malik Zinad in Saudi showdown

World Championship boxing is back in Saudi Arabia again this Saturday, with Dmitry Bivol and Malik Zinad clashing for the WBA Light Heavyweight Championship. Bivol is a huge favorite to win on the money line. It would take one almighty upset for him not to retain his title. In our latest boxing betting picks, we tell you if a shock is likely to happen.

What: WBA Light Heavyweight Championship
Who: Dmitry Bivol vs. Malik Zinad
Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
When: Saturday, June 1st, 2024
Ring Walks: 4 p.m ET Onwards

The big picture

The Saudi investment in boxing is providing fight fans with another night of top-quality action at the start of June.

The next installment of fights from the Kingdon Arena sees Dmitry Bivol defending his Light Heavyweight title against Malik Zinad. The two fighters are both unbeaten. But don’t let that fool you. Dmitry Bivol has fought the best in the division. Malik Zinad hasn’t.

Bivol is undefeated in his 22 fights. He was originally supposed to face Artur Beterbien in a blockbuster fight for the undisputed 175-pound title.

Dmitry Bivol Faces Replacement, Malik Zinad on June 1st in Riyadh https://t.co/ccbInnqCQS #Boxing #BoxingNews

— Boxing News 24 (@boxingnews24) May 8, 2024

That fight never really got off the ground, so the undefeated Malik Zinad has been drafted in and has a huge chance to make a real name for himself against Bivol.

The fight between Bivol and Zinad is the headline fight on Saturday. But also on the undercard is a 5v5 event between Frank Warren’s Queensberry promotion and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom stable.

One of the standout fights on the undercard sees Deontay Wilder taking on Zhilei Zhang. You can read our thoughts on that fight in our Wilder vs. Zhang betting picks.

Also on Saturday’s card are Daniel Dubois (+175) and Filip Hrgovic (-225). They are fighting in a title eliminator, with the winner becoming the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s world title.

Although, that fight will no doubt be trumped if Usyk and Fury rematch.

Dmitry Bivol vs. Malik Zinad Betting Odds

This is as one-sided in the betting as it gets. Usually, in the noble art of boxing, the underdog has the proverbial puncher's chance, but it seems that Malik Zinad doesn’t even have that.

On the money line, Dmitry Bivol is -2500 with BetOnline and Bovada. BetUS has him at just -3190. If you believe that Malik Zinad can cause the upset of the century, he is +1200 to win the contest and take Dmitry Bivol’s WBA title.

More boxing betting odds are available on our Bivol vs. Zinad odds table. For our prices, we have only used the best betting sites for wagering on boxing.

Dmitry Bivol vs. Malik Zinad
Dmitry Bivol	-3190	-2500	-2500
Malik Zinad	+1190	+1200	+1200

Dmitry Bivol Career Breakdown

Dmitry Bivol has a career fight record of 22-0. The 33-year-old has won eleven of his fights by KO and eleven by decision. He is one of only two men to defeat Saul Canelo Alvarez, beating the legendary Mexican by unanimous decision in a Light-Heavyweight contest in Vegas in May 2022.

What a performance 🔥

Dmitry Bivol beats Canelo Álvarez by UD#AndStill WBA Light Heavyweight Super Champion @bivol_d 🥊🔥#Boxing #Boxeo #WBA #WBABoxing #canelovsbivol pic.twitter.com/5qk7nKiHVS

— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) May 8, 2022

Bivol went into the Alvarez fight as the underdog, but won the fight with all three judges scoring it 115-113 to the Russian. Alvarez disputes the result, and a rematch is certainly not out of the question.

Dmitry Bivol has been the WBA Light Heavyweight champion since 2017. He has dominated the division in recent years. He is technically superior to anybody else at this weight, and it’s hard to see any of the current crop of light heavyweights beating him.

Dmitry Bivol To beat Malik Zinad

-2500

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Malik Zinad Career Breakdown

Malik Zinad has a professional boxing record of 22-0, the same as Dmitry Bivol.

The 30-year-old Libyan has won 16 of his 22 fights by knockout. Five of his wins have been on points, and he has one win by disqualification over John Cortez.

Despite having a good KO record, Zinad hasn’t won inside the distance in any of his last four fights. Three wins came by unanimous decision, with his most recent victory against Jerome Pampellone coming by majority decision.

The fight against Bivol is a serious step up in class for Zinad.

Malik Zinad To beat Dmitry Bivol

+1200

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Dmitry Bivol vs. Malik Zinad Picks and Predictions

It’s hard to not see Dmitry Bivol winning this fight comfortably.

The obvious call is for Bivol to win on points. His last nine fights have all ended with him winning by unanimous decision. There is a clear pattern emerging with his methods of victory.

The champion heavily relies on his technical ability. And although he hasn’t stopped an opponent since he beat Sullivan Barrera by a TKO in March 2018, it’s clear his game plan works, as no one has beaten him yet.

The names on Zinad’s fight roll call are nowhere near the level of names on Bivol’s resume. About the only thing the two fighters have in common is a 22-0 record. One man will lose his unbeaten record in Saudi Arabia, and it’s very obvious who that will be.

We believe that Bivol will stop Zinad. History says he will win on points. But he looks so superior to Zinad that we feel he will break his run of points victories and finish the fight early.

Back Bivol to win by KO/TKO/DQ.

Dmitry Bivol To beat Malik Zinad

-2500

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