Light-heavyweight sensation Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) recently defended his titles and won the IBO light-heavyweight title in a showdown against Lyndon Arthur (23-2, 16 KOs). With this fresh victory in hand, it looks like his highly anticipated fight against Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) is right around the corner. Meanwhile, Bivol’s revealed why Beterbiev might be his “hardest test” yet.
Bivol recently made an appearance on The Matchroom Boxing Podcast. In conversation, the interviewer asked him if it would be a harder fight than his bout against pound-for-pound superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs).
“Yeah, yeah. To be honest, I believe it’s the hardest test,” Bivol replied. “Why? Because he’s stronger. I know he’s physically stronger than Canelo Álvarez, and he has good technique too.” He mentioned that while many people talk about Beterbiev’s power, they often undermine the fact that he is an exceptionally skilled boxer.
Beterbiev has gained notoriety for his 100 percent knockout rate. A title that he upheld by defeating Callum Smith (29-2, 21 KOs) via a TKO on January 13. Moreover, in victory, he retained his WBC, IBF, and WBO light-heavyweight titles.
“You know I love boxing so much. I love boxing those who think, who use their skills, who has a good defense,” he said while discussing what he wished to achieve from this matchup. “I like smart boxing, and I want to believe that I’m showing this boxing to the people.”
‘… the subject with Canelo is now closed’
With fans at the edge of their seats for a potential Beterbiev showdown, it sure looks like Bivol has his priorities straight. Meanwhile, he seems to have no interest in pursuing an Alvarez fight.
“I’m not a big light heavyweight fighter. I can make 168, but only for belts. Canelo has the belts, and that is why I wanted to fight him,” he said. However, Bivol mentioned that both fighters have different plans currently and that they wish to focus on those plans.
“Maybe in the future – I hope I will fight for undisputed in my weight class because the subject with Canelo is now closed,” Bivol added.
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