Karma caught up with the undefeated Russian boxer in Canada. His fight for the absolute championship has been canceled

WBC, WBO and IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) has torn his meniscus, ESPN reports. His absolute championship fight against WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs), scheduled for June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been canceled.

Turki Al al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Entertainment, tells ESPN that a replacement is being sought for Bivol at the June 1 tournament.

Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) will undergo knee surgery and is expected to be out until at least September, sources said. It is hoped that the Beterbiev-Bivol fight will still take place later this year.

Al Al Sheikh announced that the undercard, which features five boxers promoted by Matchroom against five Queensberry fighters, will go ahead on June 1 as planned.

The 33-year-old Bivol fought his last fight in late December, defeating Lyndon Arthur, while the 39-year-old Beterbiev, who also holds Canadian citizenship, defeated Callum Smith in mid-January.

Bivol was born in Tokmak, so on recent shows he was announced as "born in Kyrgyzstan, trained in the United States."

Beterbiyev is a big fan of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and has repeatedly expressed his admiration for the dictator.

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