Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol better put any undisputed hopes on the ice, as the WBC has made it clear that the former is tied for two matches.
Beterbiev was originally booked to defend his WBC, IBF and WBO light heavyweight belts against Anthony Yarde in October of this year, however an injury to the champion has delayed the plan to 2023. Now due to head-to-head in January, if Beterbiev beats London lightweight his path is arguably clear to take on WBA Champion, Bivol.
Yarde, now 22-2 as a professional, has recovered from losses to Sergey Kovalev and Lyndon Arthur, the latter of whom he has avenged. ‘The Beast From The East’ ranked first with the WBO, so planned to fight their champion.
WBC intervened though, confirmed at annual conference that whoever wins in January will have a mandatory challenger to honor – Callum Smith. The Merseyside man has two impressive wins at 175lb, and everyone knows he wants a challenge for the top titles in his new sport. Smith previously held the WBA belt in super-middleweight, but lost it in the only loss of his career to Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez.
The notice from the sanctioning agency was issued shortly after Bivol decisively defeated Gilberto Ramirez to hold onto his WBA belt and put himself firmly in the conversation for boxer of the year. After the win, he insisted that he wanted to build his legacy by being the undisputed light heavyweight.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman’s ruling has put those plans on hold and now we’ll most likely see Bivol return to the ring with Canelo, give the Mexican a chance to avenge his defeat this year. If both men continue to win and remain injury-free, seeing an undisputed champion in the tournament could become a reality as 2024 draws near.
