Despite the sublime defense, adept offensive output, and extraordinary boxing IQ, Gilberto Ramirez was confident in his ability to strip Dmitry Bivol of his WBA light heavyweight title on November 5th. But as the rounds became more and more one-sided, a look of despair had been painfully etched onto the Mexican star's face.
Following 36 lopsided minutes on the night, Bivol had successfully defended his 175-pound trinket. In doing so, Tim Bradley stood firmly on his feet, hands clasped together in amazement. With a terrific 2022 now behind him, Bradley took the time to succinctly heap praise on the soon-to-be 32-year-old.
“That’s a bad boy,” said Bradley during an interview with K.O. Artists Sports. “He beat a heavyweight. Ramirez comes in around 200 pounds and he backed him up. Bivol, that’s a bad dude man.”
Although a long list of viable contenders await him, Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) has shown little to no interest in sharing the ring with anyone other than Artur Beterbiev. Up until now, the 37-year-old from Khasavyurt, Russia has exhibited a propensity for not only stopping his opponents but also depriving them of their world titles in the process.
His latest victim, Joe Smith Jr., did his best to avoid Beterbiev’s pernicious knockout power. Though he stood strong in the pocket, their showdown was a transient one as Beterbiev punished his man, resulting in a second-round knockout win.
Still, even with the WBA, WBC, and WBO light heavyweight trinkets in his possession, the absence of Bivol’s WBA title has become obtrusive. While both men would love nothing more than to settle their differences and battle it out for undisputed glory, a slew of obstacles stand before them.
After playing the waiting game for longer than he wanted, Anthony Yarde has been given his wish as he’s set to take on Beterbiev at the tail end of January. Should the pound-for-pound star successfully defend his unified throne, he’s likely to head into Ramadan, further delaying his undisputed showdown against Bivol.
If a deal can eventually be worked out, a matchup between them figures to be one of the more intriguing in all of boxing. However, according to Bradley, Beterbiev’s explosive power and relentless pressure will be tamed effortlessly at the hands of Bivol.
The chances of Beterbiev laying his man out cold still remain a strong one but, from Bradley’s point of view, Bivol’s all-around game will allow him to cruise to a decisive victory.
“I got Bivol when he fights Beterbiev. Man, listen to me, Bivol knows every aspect of the ring. He knows how to get off, his control game is fantastic as well as the inside. That defense of Bivol, I know the power (Beterbiev) is different, hands of stone type of power. He still gotta land that stuff, he still gotta figure out a way to land that stuff. It’s a 50/50 fight due to the power and Beterbiev is smart as well but the legs, that's the difference right there. The legs of Bivol is way better. I think he’s gonna chop up Beterbiev. He’s gonna chop his behind up.”
