Dmitry Bivol is fully prepared to move on from the biggest win of career.
The possibility of never again facing Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is fine with the WBA light heavyweight titlist, particularly as both have present-day business to handle. While Alvarez returns to super middleweight for a trilogy clash with and an undisputed championship defense Gennadiy Golovkin on September 17, Bivol prepares for a mandatory title defense against unbeaten former super middleweight titlist Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
The two fights came about in the wake of Bivol’s win over Alvarez (57-2-2, 39KOs) on May 7 in Las Vegas. Their title fight came with a rematch clause, which Alvarez has yet to enforce as he was already contractually bound to a third fight with Golovkin. Bivol is perfectly fine with things working out that way, and with taking the clout gained from his win over the Mexican superstar to create his own brand.
“Maybe it’s the right decision for him and the right decision for his team,” Bivol told BoxingScene.com and a small group of reporters during an intimate roundtable session. “They had the deal in place before my fight. He had the deal to fight Golovkin. It makes business sense.
“For me, it’s okay. I have my own road. I beat him and now I’m glad I get to move forward. I don’t need this (rematch) with Canelo. Maybe to earn money but it’s not my main (goal) to fight him (again).”
Bivol (20-0, 11KOs) instead prepares for the ninth defense of the title he has held since November 2017.
The win over Alvarez extended his reign long to serve as the third longest among active male titleholders. The 31-year-old from Saint Petersburg, Russia by way of Kyrgyzstan toiled in relative obscurity even as he ranked among the top of the light heavyweight division. In an instant, his win over Alvarez saw Bivol’s name mentioned in pound-for-pound discussion.
The lone complaint from his team was settling for what they felt was less than fair financial compensation. A rematch would conceivably far exceed his payday for their previous encounter along with any other fight in the sport.
Bivol would much rather remain in control of his own destiny while continuing to raise his profile even without once again sharing the ring with Alvarez.
A win over the unbeaten and naturally bigger Ramirez (44-0, 30KOs) to cap a 2022 campaign that would be a shoo-in for Fighter of the Year. With that, he could seemingly name his own price for his first of 2023—whether a second fight with Alvarez or a first fight with anyone else.
“Of course, money is one of the main things. But it’s not the main thing,” clarified Bivol. “If I only think about money, I wouldn’t be here. For this fight (with Ramirez), I’m making the same money that I did against Canelo.
“I don’t know if there will be a rematch. For now, it doesn’t matter. I’m focused on Zurdo. He’s a dangerous opponent and I have to beat him. But why not! If he wants it and I want it and we can make a deal, then why not.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox