Dmitry Bivol should be the fighter of the year in 2022 if he wins on Saturday.
The result though is not a guarantee by any means.
“Boxing is not only about hitting, it’s about defense, too,” said Bivol.
His opponent Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez is not just one of the best light heavyweights in the world, he is also someone who has been calling him out for not just months, but years.
“When my father brought be to the boxing gym, every time I sparred against someone or I was in a competition he told me, ‘If you take too many punches, I will throw in the towel,” said Bivol. “Even if you’re winning the fight. “I don’t need my son to take a lot of punches. It’s not healthy.”
Bivol’s approach to the fight game is simple - do not take damage, and win.
“You can make a good fight and not get punches on your head, too,” Bivol stated the fighter who recently beat Canelo Alvarez. “You can. Maybe it’s harder than [to] forget about everything, and listening to your emotions and just fighting….”
Bivol is now at the top of the sport, in one of the biggest fights to end the year, and as humble as ever.
“This is a fight that makes me excited,” Bivol confesses. “This is a fight for belts and that’s what I want. It’s nothing against Beterbiev [personally], it’s not about only him, it’s for his belts. I have a goal to be undisputed champion and I still have this goal. I know him personally. When I was an amateur boxer in the national team, we were on the same side but he was there earlier than me. We were there together a couple of years and then he left. We are not friends; we just know each other.”
