Though brilliant, Dmitry Bivol’s career appeared to be floundering. With little to no options against the rest of the light heavyweight division’s elite, an inquisitive look was etched upon his face as Canelo Alvarez audaciously made the decision to face him.
While perplexed initially, the Russian native happily accepted his offer. Ultimately, the two would face off on May 7th, earlier this year with Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) placing his WBA light heavyweight crown on the line.
After struggling through the first few rounds, the 31-year-old would eventually find his rhythm, leading to a unanimous decision victory on the night. Although Alvarez was immediately apoplectic, he returned to the super middleweight division where he successfully defended his WBO, WBA, WBC, and IBF titles against Gennadiy Golovkin.
Bivol, on the other hand, added yet another scalp to his ever-growing resume, doing so against Gilberto Ramirez this past weekend. Now, after outclassing the previously undefeated champion, Bivol finds himself with a bevy of options.
Alvarez, of course, has made his feelings clear that a rematch against Bivol remains at the top of his wishlist. Bivol, however, has revealed that drowning himself in undisputed glory is at the forefront of his mind. To do so, the WBA titlist will look to navigate the treacherous waters in a showdown against current unified champion, Artur Beterbiev.
In any event, Eddie Hearn, Bivol’s long time promoter, has concocted an idea that, if successful, could solidify Bivol as a no doubt first ballot Hall of Famer.
“We also talk about the possibility of Dmitry fighting Canelo at 168 for undisputed. I mean, he can fight Canelo Alvarez at 168 for undisputed. If he won that fight, he can fight Beterbiev in his next fight for undisputed at 175 and become a two-time undisputed champion in two fights. But I have no idea if he can make 168.”
