![Artur Beterbiev [left] and Dmitry Bivol hard at work during their February 2025 rematch](https://photo.boxingscene.com/uploads/artur-beterbiev-dmitry-bivol-2-rematch-4.jpg)
Mark Robinson/MatchroomEddie Hearn told BoxingScene on Friday that reports of Matchroom and Premier Boxing Champions negotiating a fight between undisputed light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and David Benavidez are “completely false.”
Although Bivol is a Matchroom fighter, the promoter said that the Russian’s next move “will be dictated by His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh], because he gave him all the opportunities. He fought Lyndon Arthur. He fought another defense over there against [Malik] Zinad, and then he fought Artur Beterbiev twice. Don’t forget, that first fight was razor thin, and Turki said, ‘I want to see that again.’ And to be fair to him, he made it happen in four months. Unbelievable. The second fight was also close, and I think he’ll say to Beterbiev that ‘You will get your shot.’”
Beterbiev, 21-1 (20 KOs), edged Bivol by majority decision in their first fight last October, before Bivol, 24-1 (12 KOs), gained revenge in the same fashion in February. Hearn thinks a decider would be the right way to go.
“They should run it back, because it’s a brilliant fight. We also love Benavidez against Bivol. But for me, it will be the trilogy next. The problem for Beterbiev is that Bivol is going to be better. So, we’re very confident going into that fight.”
A third Bivol-Beterbiev matchup could open an opportunity for another Matchroom light heavyweight, Callum Smith, to face Benavidez. Smith, 31-2 (22 KOs), impressively outpointed previously undefeated Joshua Buatsi in a grueling fight on the undercard of the Bivol-Beterbiev rematch to reestablish himself as a major player in the 175lbs division.
“We've had some conversations around Benavidez-Callum Smith, and around Callum Smith against [David] Morrell as well,” said Hearn. “I mean, Callum Smith's in a really good position. You know, he's mandatory [in the WBO rankings]. He won't be called just yet, but he's the interim world champion. Just had a great win against Buatsi. Unfortunately, when you become undisputed like Bivol, all of these mandatories swing around. They've got one with the IBF, they've got Benavidez, they've got Callum Smith. So yeah, I think the belts will free up over the next 12 months.”
Kieran Mulvaney has written, broadcast and podcast about boxing for HBO, Showtime, ESPN and Reuters, among other outlets. He presently co-hosts the “Fighter Health Podcast” with Dr. Margaret Goodman. He also writes regularly for National Geographic, has written several books on the Arctic and Antarctic, and is at his happiest hanging out with wild polar bears. His website is www.kieranmulvaney.com.
