WBA light heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol sits fight-less in 2023 after defeating boxing’s golden goose, Saul Canelo Alvarez, followed by another dominating victory over the undefeated Gilberto Ramirez in an impressive 2022.
Canelo jumped ship from Matchroom to Premier Boxing Champions, Bivol still sails with Matchroom in the meantime as a rematch between the pair never came to fruition. It has been over a year since his last fight.
“You know, I had some treatment with my hand.” Bivol said in an exclusive interview for ProBox TV. “Then we were talking about some different opponents, we didn’t find some opponents, and time just [Bivol snapped his fingers with some frustration]. Now we are here [Riyadh, Saudi Arabia] talking about my next fight, which will be the end of this year or the beginning of next year, I hope. Now we are talking about [fighting] in the USA and talking about opponents.”
Fellow Russian world light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev joined Bivol for the festivities in the Middle East last week to again tease boxing fans with an undisputed clash at 175 pounds between the two undefeated men. Beterbiev told ProBox TV moments before the interview with Bivol, “if he’s ready, I’m ready. Ask him if he wants the fight.”
“He knows why it is not happening,” Bivol said in response to Beterbiev. “It is not because I don’t want to fight him. He should talk with Top Rank. He should ask this question to WBC, Mauricio Sulaiman, ESPN. The things around us, the things around just me and him. Me? I just want to fight him, not him to be honest with you, I want to fight for the belts which he has now.”
