Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol LIVE: Start time and round-by-round updates as the two champions headline stacked card for the undisputed light-heavyweight world title

The action tonight is already underway and our first fight saw Marco Maric defeat Christian Lopez Flores by decision.

All three judges gave the Swiss fighter the nod 40-36.

To say it is his first fight as a professional, Maric looked comfortable on the big stage, cutting the ring well and forcing his opponent on to the ropes.

He may have been outgunned but Lopez Flores was a live opponent throughout, and showed why he has proven difficult to finish despite suffering 46 losses in his career.

If there’s thing you can say about the extra-cirriculars involved in these Riyadh season events, no expense is spared when it comes to the promotional side.

Ever wanted to watch two of the world’s most dangerous fighters leading armies into a medieval battle?

Both fighters in tonight’s main event made the 175lb light heavyweight limit on Friday, but Beterbiev had to employ some pretty extreme measures to do so.

The 39-year-old embarked on a three-day liquids-only fast prior to stepping on the scales and told Mail Sport’s JEFF POWELL MBE that he will harness his hunger inside the ring.

Click below to read the full interview:

Welcome to Mail Sport’s coverage of tonight’s light heavyweight showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

For the second time this year the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will play host to an undisputed clash between the consensus two best fighters on the planet in their weight class.

Much like Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk earlier this year, neither Beterbiev nor Bivol have ever tasted defeat in their professional careers and fans will have the chance to bare witness to one of the most stylistically fascinating contests in recent memory.

In what has become something of a theme with these Saudi events, we also have a stacked undercard to look forward to, including a British heavyweight title rematch between Frazer Clarke and Fabio Wardley.

We’ll have also the latest updates and reaction right here so stick around and get yourself comfy as we prepare for one of the biggest fights of the decade.