Bivol Describes Chilemba as 'Good Challenge, Real Tricky'

By Steve Kim

As you see the resume' of Isaac Chilemba you see familiar names all over. From the likes of Sergey Kovalev and Eleider Alvarez (who face one another this weekend on HBO from Atlantic City, New Jersey), you also see Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Tony Bellew (who he battled to twice), Thomas Oosthuizen and Maxim Vlasov, among others.

Now he faces WBA 175-pound champion, Dmitry Bivol, this weekend as the co-feature to Kovalev-Alvarez at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Bivol is hoping to win in style, in order to set up a unification in the coming future with the winner of the main event between Kovalev and Alvarez.

Chilemba, who may be looking at his final crack at a world title as part of a showcased network slot, was prepared in training camp by former four division world champion Roy Jones Jr.

"Chilemba is a good fighter with good experience, he has a fight against Kovalev, and he went twelve rounds. He's never been knocked out," said Bivol, during an in-studio visit to 'the 3 Knockdown Rule' with Mario Lopez.

(For the record, Chilemba was stopped by Gvozdyk as he had to retire in the eighth round due to a broken hand).

"It's a good challenge for me and I think he's a really tricky fighter because when I see the fight against Kovalev, Kovalev doesn't look good,'' continued Bivol, who has a record of 13-0 (11 KO's).

Bivol is coming off a 12th round stoppage of the sturdy Sullivan Barrera on March 3rd at the Theater of Madison Square Garden in New York.

Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com