Via Brian Webber: Dmitry Bivol and his promoter Andrey Ryabinskiy are looking for their next opponent after Canelo Alvarez decided not to do an immediate rematch, instead facing the next Gennadiy Golovkin.
Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) had initially talked about wanting an immediate rematch with Bivol after a decisive round 12 loss to him on May 7. However, he did. have changed their mind and will face Golovkin on September 17 in an exciting three-part match on DAZN PPV.
Mexican star Canelo still has plans to rematch Bivol, but he wants to take on Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) in September first at 168. That’s the battle Canelo-Golovkin has up. plan before the battle with Bivol on May 7. .
The three-part showdown with Golovkin makes more sense for Canelo than facing Bivol in a risky immediate rematch. Golovkin will turn 41 in April, and Canelo has to take on him now. The boxing world has been waiting for Canelo to take on Golovkin in their trilogy since 2018, and as promoter Eddie Hearn says, “Now or never.”
“Dmitry has already begun preparing for the next battle,” The promoter Andrey Ryabinskiy told Sports sky. “But it is impossible to say who will be the next to fight. We’re just starting to think about it. ”
Canelo is arguably undefeated to Bivol, as he’s a 4:1 favorite and arguably has too much talent for the undefeated 175-lb WBA champion.
With a rematch with Canelo off the table, Bivol (20-0, 11 KOs) has some compelling options to defend his WBA light heavyweight title.
Bivol’s options:
1. Winner Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr.
2. Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez
3. Joshua Buatsi
The first pick, against winner Beterbiev-Smith Jr, would be the ideal pick for Bivol, as he would have a fighting chance for the undisputed 175 lb championship.
“I trust Dmitry. Today he is one of the best boxers in the world because of a combination of his physical conditioning, his ability to focus on results and his technique,” said Ryabinskiy.
Promoter Bob Arum will need to be convinced for the winner of Beterbiev vs. Smith fights Bivol because last week he stated that he was not interested in doing that fight.
The reason Arum wasn’t interested in letting Bivol fight winner Beterbiev-Smith is because he fought on the DAZN app while those two were with ESPN.
Given Arum’s stance, that leaves Bivol with no choice but to look in a different direction for his next fight.
Fans want to witness the undisputed championship at the age of 175, but that cannot happen if Arum changes his mind. We don’t know if Arum’s valid reason for not wanting Bivol to take on winner Beterbiev vs. Smith is it because he fights on DAZN or not.
It is possible that he sees Bivol as a threat to those two fighters, given that he defeated Smith in 2019. The way Bivol dominated Joe Smith Jr, it’s fair to say that he likely will. that again.
IBF/WBC champion Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) will certainly be a tougher match for Bivol, but he will have problems with his pace.
Beterbiev seems to have slowed down in arm and leg speed since 2019 and he will have issues with Bivol’s combined punching and mobility.
The undefeated Gilberto Ramirez is the must-have WBC belt for Beterbiev, and he’s popular with heavyweight boxing fans in America. However, he is not famous and he is very large for the 175 lb weight class.
Ramirez rehydrated to 204 lbs for his final game against Dominic Boesel on May 14, making him a strong contender of the night.
