Dmitry Bivol says he is not sure if he will leave the light heavyweight division if he achieves his goal of defeating three-time champion Artur Beterbiev to become the undefeated champion this Saturday night in Riyadh.
Bivol’s two obvious options would be to stay at light heavyweight and face WBC interim champion David Benavidez or WBA ‘regular’ champion David Morrell. These would be great fights for the fans and could bring in good money for Bivol. Both of these guys are strong, and there is a good chance that Bivol will be taken out by them.
If Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) doesn’t choose to stay at 175 to defend his four belts against Canelo Alvarez in a rematch, he could move up to cruiserweight to challenge IBF champion Jai Opetaia for his belt. Honorable Turki Alalshikh would be interested in a fight between the two.
We don’t know how good Bivol is because he never fought 175 assassins, and he looked like he would lose against stronger guys. Will he react well to Beterbiev’s repeated blows or will he crumble and collapse?
Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) could ruin Bivol’s big fight hopes by knocking him out on Saturday night. That could change the dynamics of other potential fights because Canelo isn’t interested in fighting Beterbiev, and it’s understandable why.
Beterbiev will be a big problem for Opetaia because the Australian doesn’t react well when hit hard, and has no inside game to speak of. Turki likes Opetaia, and it wouldn’t be good for his career to fight Beterbiev and possibly get kicked out. That would reduce Opetaia’s popularity, perhaps forever.
“For me the belts are more important than anything because I didn’t have these belts. Maybe when I have these belts maybe I will change my mind,” said Bivol speaking at Stomping Grounds about how he considers world titles as important to him in his boxing career. “Since I came to boxing, I wanted to have all the belts.”
If Bivol wins, it does not mean that there are no goals for him, because there may be a rematch with Beterbiev. That would interest many fans. In addition, there are contenders such as David Benavidez, David Morrell, Joshua Buatsi, and Anthony Yarde who will be looking to get a title shot against him.
“I didn’t think too much about what happened after this fight,” Bivol said when asked if he could go to the next division if he beats Artur Beterbiev to become the undefeated champion at 175.
“I need to listen to my body to decide what I want to do after this fight, and then I’ll tell you.”
“I feel amazing because I will fight for all the belts, and this opportunity is not for every fight. Even good players couldn’t have this luck, but I got this fight,” said Dmitry Bivol to Boxing King Media about his opportunity to fight for the vacant light heavyweight title with Artur Beterbiev.
“I want to make history with my coach,” said Bivol.
Keep working 👊🏻
📸 @Maudsakri @Turki_alalshikh | @RiyadhSeason | #riyadhseason | #BeterbievBivol pic.twitter.com/lnDhLy7QCt
– Artur Beterbiev (@ABeterbiev) October 7, 2024
