Dmitry Bivol settled for a knockout win on a night he hoped to become undisputed champion.

That opportunity will now come later this fall.

The long-reigning WBA light heavyweight titlist remained perfect with a sixth-round stoppage of Malik Zinad. A barrage of punches forced referee Howard Foster to stop the contest at 2:06 of the sixth round. Bivol (23-0, 12 knockouts) earned his first stoppage since 2018 with the win Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The night was originally meant for Bivol to face Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) for all the light heavyweight belts. Beterbiev was forced to withdraw due to a torn meniscus, which allowed Zinad to step in for his first major title shot.

Zinad (22-1, 16 KOs) vowed to become Libya’s first-ever major titlist and enjoyed a strong start. That was, until, Bivol rediscovered his power. A left hand and straight right floored Zinad late in the opening round.

The first-time title challenger was unfazed by the sequence and continued to mock Bivol throughout the fight. Zinad constantly waved in the sport’s second-longest reigning active male titleholder. The posturing didn’t earn him credit on the rounds but won over the crowd.

Zinad’s spirited effort also caught the attention of Turki Alalshikh, chairman of General Entertainment Authority. An offer was extended to bring him back to Riyadh Season later this year.

Emotions ran high after the end of the fourth round, when Bivol and Zinad went head-to-head. They leaned into one another before ordered to go to their respective corners.

Bivol shook off a right hand by Zinad in the fifth and remained on course with crisp combinations. That level of discipline allowed for a strong finish.

A left hand to the chin began the fight-ending surge for Bivol, who rocked Zinad midway through the sixth round. A series of right hands and left hooks rocked Zinad, who still had the wherewithal to taunt Bivol while driven to the ropes. A final two-punch combo was enough to end the fight.

The night marked Bivol’s first to not go to the scorecards since a March 2018 12^th round stoppage of Sullivan Barrera. Bivol earned nine straight decision wins, including a 12-round victory over Lyndon Arthur last Dec. 23 in this venue.

Saturday’s win marked Bivol’s 12th with the full WBA light heavyweight title at stake. He’s held the belt since a Nov. 2017 1st round knockout of Trent Broadhurst.

Now comes the opportunity to add the rest of the divisional hardware to his collection.

The Ring’s top two light heavyweights—Beterbiev No. 1, Bivol No. 2—will now meet Oct. 12 in Riyadh. Alalshikh confirmed the date, originally reserved for the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury heavyweight championship rematch. It will instead crown the first undisputed light heavyweight champion in more than twenty years.

Beterbiev is the lineal, WBC, IBF and WBO champ.

Bivol-Zinad aired live on DAZN Pay-Per-View. The fight was external to the show’s Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5-vs-5 tournament.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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