To say it has been a whirlwind year for Scots boxer Luke Bibby would be the understatement of the century.
The unbeaten Perth talent took on his first pro fight in front of a few hundred people at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow in January – but he’s now just hours away from a shock bout in Saudi Arabia as part of the build-up to the Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk 2 heavyweight title clash. Bibby (24) received the surprise call from trainer Billy Nelson last Thursday telling him he’d been invited to Riyadh to take on Englishman Kirk Stevens after the media workout. The former Perth Academy pupil jumped at the chance and raced over 4,000 miles for the opportunity of a lifetime.
Bibby is a two-time British champion at amateur level and his work rate has been compared to renowned Scottish boxer Ricky Burns. He has has made a startling start to his pro career winning all SEVEN of his matches so far without losing a single round. After a packed year he was planning for a few weeks respite before scheduling a new fight in February 2025. But now the evergreen will compete after Fury and Usyk complete their public workouts on Wednesday (December 18) evening. The encounter is part of a week of events organised in the Middle East ahead of the highly-anticipated duel between Fury and Usyk in Riyadh on Saturday night.
He told Record Sport: “I will be focussed in the changing room when they are doing the media workout but I will watch it back. It will be mental to see them up close. I am hoping to meet them. I will be back stage and after the media fight and hopefully they will still be about. I am going to meet a few big names over the next few days I think. I only got the phone call last Thursday now and in less than a week I am here.”
When asked if he will get the chance to speak Fury and Usyk he revealed: “They will probably be in the zone this close to the fight. They probably won’t have much time for any interactions. It would be a quick chat and a photo! That will be the goal. This is an amazing experience for me going forward and for my future – I want to be headlining on the Saturday night. It is phenomenal this early in my career.”
Stevens, Bibby’s original opponent, was forced to pull out at the last minute and was replaced by fellow Englishman Jordan Ellison – but the Perth southpaw doesn’t care who he faces. The bout will take place in the same ring as the media workout and is live on DAZN and the DAZN Youtube channel from 7.45pm UK time. He said: “I have got a different opponent but the job remains the same: I am focused on getting the win. I don’t dive too much into how they fight. Because when you fight someone, if they do a different thing against you it can catch you out. You take it as it comes and you make them box your fight.
“In terms of going out the country this is what begin a good amateur is all about: to travel all round the world fighting. But I am not looking to box the occasion I am looking to box the fight in front of me. I am looking not to just enjoy it but do a job. 100 per cent this is a way to get my name out there so I need to make sure I put on a solid performance to impress the eyes that are watching.”
As part of his trip Bibby will also be in attendance at Saturday’s heavyweight rematch. He added: “I have got tickets for the Fury fight on the weekend. It is one of the biggest fights ever. It has come about so quickly and when the phone went I said: ‘let’s do this man, yes this is it’.”
The Open Workouts will be available to watch worldwide in over 200 countries as part of a DAZN subscription. It will also be available to watch on the DAZN Boxing YouTube channel.