Who would you (realistically) like to see Bivol fight on HBO in the Summer?

[CTE90]

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[W1LL]

Bivol is a beast, it's going to be hard to match him in competitive fights.

[NEETzsche]

Probably not plausible but I would like to see him face Braehmer

[asgarth]

Not many options for him.
Kovalev fights Alvarez
Stevenson fights Jack (both Showtime fighters)
Gvozdyk like you mention has already a date for summer
Browne has other problems right now
Joe Smith Jr. is coming off a loss against the fighter Bivol just smashed, so would prefer someone else.
Beterbiev fights Johnson
Fonfara is coming off a devastating loss. So no interest.
Murat is european level.
Mikhalkin just got smashed.
Hooper isnt actually very good, but has 2 decent wins against quinlan and sulamov, so maybe him.
Chilemba can give you rounds and offers an awkward style, but has 3 losses in his last 4 fights.
Yarde is not ready.
Rodriguez is a decent name and gets bombed out with his garbage defense. So a good fight for a showcase.
Boesel wont take the challenge, is happy to do his thing in germany.
shabranskyy has shown to be nothing more than a gatekeeper, no defense, can also be used for a showcase fight.
Dont know anything about Humberto Velazco Torres, he beat williams jr in his last outing.

So that's it for the top20. Very strong top 6, but other than that not a very deep weightclass.

[mlac]

Marcus Browne.

[Citizen Koba]

Not many available and legimate opponents for Bivol.. Who would you realistically like to have him face?
I put a poll, excluding some fights that are just not going to happen - like:
Yarde (Not ready for title shot yet)
Betterbiev and Callum Johnson (Set to fight each other)
Badou and Stevenson (Will not be ready, nor interested)
Gvozdyk (Will return on ESPN in the summer, waits for WBC title shot)
Etc...


If you'd like to see a fight with someone else, mention him.
My propositions:
- Edwin Rodriguez
Always comes to fight, stoppage against Williams Jr. was somewhat premature(Considering his recovering abilities) - and he recovered with 2 decent wins.

- Isaac Chilemba
Top contenders for years now, always solid - coming off good win on the road against Caparello.

- Egor Mekhontsev
His career didn't move as many expected - but he's 33 years old, olympic gold medalist - would still make for intriguing fight on paper. Can Egor raise to the occasion? I'd be curious.

- Joe Smith Jr.
Coming off a loss, but to solid fighter he suffered broken jaw early. Joe is still somewhat of a name in the division also.

Of the guys you mention Chilemba is the guy who's most reliably performed at a high level... I'd love to say Mekhontsev but the dude somehow never got his **** off the ground despite appearing initially to have the highest ceiling.

Neither Smith nor Rodriguez have the boxing skills to offer a credible challenge or even much of a test, though both can **** a bit and could make for fun showcase fights.

[M Bison]

Edwin only because he fought Ward, like to see how Bivol deals with another former Ward opponent.

[Redd Foxx]

Not a very attractive list. You eliminated anyone I would actually want to see him fight.
E. Alvarez would be a good one. Beterbeiv would be the one I really want to see.

[dan_cov]

Chilemba - Awkward, durable slickster that'll give him some valuable rounds. Its what impresses me most about Bivol, him and his team have had no problem matching him against awkward, negative guys usually avoided because they'll make you look terrible even in victory. And he passed those tests with Agnew and the very cagey Valera with flying colours. This kids something special.

Joe Smith etc just get played with then put out of their misery whenever Bivol decides to turn it up. He's that good.

[boliodogs]

He is a favorite of mine and I have confidence in him. I would like to see him fight another champion instead of those guys. If not a champion then the highest ranking contender. No Joe Smith please.