By Sean Jones: Dmitry Bivol says he will start training camp soon for his next fight against a still-to-be-determined opponent in late April or May.
Bivol isn’t sure whether he wants to come down to 168 for a rematch with Canelo Alvarez if that fight is to happen because he hasn’t fought at that weight for a long time. Canelo is taking a tune-up in May, so he won’t face Bivol until September if everything goes well.
If Bivol melts down to 168, he might be weight drained and too weak to defeat Canelo a second time. The last thing that Bivol wants is to fight Canelo in a weakened condition.
WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) could be defending against the Eddie Hearn-promoted Joshua Buatsi in his next fight; Buatsi (16-0, 12 KOs) is ranked #1 with the WBA, so that’s an obvious opponent for him.
Hearn will likely push to have Bivol face Buatsi in London, which wouldn’t be ideal for him, as he almost lost to British fighter Craig Richards in Manchester, England, in May 2021.
If Bivol is going to fight Buatsi next, he should fight him in a neutral venue like the United States. Fighting him in England is just asking for trouble.
It might be too risky for Bivol to chance it again if he’s going to have the crowd, judges, and the fighter that he’s going up against.
“Of course, the fight against Canelo was tougher because a lot of pressure was on me for the fight and during the fight, but I handled it,” said Dmitry Bivol to Boxing Social when asked who was the tougher fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez.
“It was two different fights, but both of them were tough. First of all, I want more belts. It doesn’t matter who. I just want more belts. Light heavyweight or super middleweight, whichever is easier to make a fight, I prefer this fight [to a Canelo rematch].
“Of course, it would be enough motivation for me to make 168, but I need to think about it more because I wasn’t 168 for many years,” said Bivol when asked if he’d drop down to 168 for the chance to fight for Canelo’s undisputed championship.
“If this fight is possible, let’s talk about it; let’s do it, and I think I will be ready,” said Bivol.
“There have been some conversations that have started out this week. They’re very initial,” said Bivol’s manager Vadim Kornilov when asked if talks have started with Canelo’s promoters about a rematch with Bivol. “We’ll see where this takes us and see how serious it is. We’ll probably start talking some terms.
“Yes, of course, I feel respect from boxing fans and boxing organizations. I should achieve more to get more attention, but now I’m glad what I got,” said Bivol when asked does he feel he’s getting more attention after his wins over Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez in 2022.
“What I’m getting now is motivating me for the future, too, to get more attention and get more respect. It’s motivating. I said at the beginning of my relationship with Matchroom, I respect Eddie and our relationship is good, and he’s found fights for me. I think he’s one of the best promoters now.
“Maybe this year, he’s the best promoter in the world. He should get this reward. I’m glad I’m working with Eddie and Frank.
“I’m not sure if I’ll be there because I’ll have my training camp, and I have to be ready for May or the end of April because I want to get a fight in this time. I have to think about it,” said Bivol when asked if he’ll attend the Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde fight on January 28th in London.