Beterbiev vs. Bivol is bigger than Spence vs. Crawford says Eddie Hearn

By Boxing News - 02/01/2023 - Comments

By Jim Calfa: Eddie Hearn says that he views the undisputed light heavyweight match between champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol as a bigger fight than the Errol Spence Jr vs. Terence Crawford clash.

Hearn feels that boxing fans are bored with welterweight champions Spence & Crawford because they’ve been talking about fighting each other for years and have done nothing.

It’s a case of fans tired of these two fighters not facing each other and mainly facing nondescript opposition throughout their careers. Spence & Crawford are in their 30s, and they don’t have too much time left as major players.

With their inactivity, it wouldn’t be surprising if their careers are over in four or five fights, which will likely consume 4 to 5 years.

People are bored with Spence-Crawford

“He was brilliant. Yarde was great as well. It was a really good fight,” said Eddie Hearn to Fighthype about last Saturday night’s main event between IBF, WBC & WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Anthony Yarde.

“Beterbiev is a lot more clever than people realize. With the little bits of work that he does, he’s incredibly strong, and he’s a great puncher, and Beterbiev-Bivol is probably the best fight in boxing right now. I think so,” said Hearn when asked if Beterbiev vs. Bivol is bigger than Errol Spence Jr vs. Terence Crawford.

“With fights like that, you get a bit bored with them. I feel like people are a bit bored talking about Spence-Crawford. Maybe it’s just me. Listen, if that fight got made, I’d be buzzing, but right now, Beterbiev-Bivol excites me more than Spence-Crawford.

“I’m not saying if that got made, I wouldn’t, but that’s just how I feel. Obviously, you’ve got Canelo Alvarez, who wants to revenge his defeat against Dmitry Bivol. Callum Smith is mandatory for Beterbiev.

“So we’ll see what’s going to happen, but certainly, we’re in the mix for some big fights at 175,” Hearn said.

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Bivol will fight Canelo in September

“Yeah, it is, but I really back Dmitry Bivol in that fight,” Hearn said when asked if Beterbiev vs. Bivol is a 50-50 fight. I think styles make fights; I think his performances have been great, but Beterbiev is a great fighter, and I just think it’s a great fight.

“The reality is, he’s not really a 175-pounder,” said Hearn when asked if Canelo Alvarez has gone under the radar since his loss to Bivol in May 2022. “What he wanted to do was keep testing himself until the point he got beat. That’s basically what happened.

“He boxed Bivol at 175, and he got beaten by the bigger, better man on the night, and he wants to rematch him. Bivol wants to fight for belts. There’s an opportunity to do that fight at 168 for Bivol to become undisputed at 168. He thinks he can make the weight. We’ll see what happens.

“For Dmitry Bivol, a guy all about legacy. He could fight Canelo Alvarez at 168 for undisputed and then fight Beterbiev at 175 for undisputed. That would be a hell of a run.

“I think he gets to a stage where he chases greatness, and Dmitry is about greatness. We’ve seen him have a great 2022, and he wants to keep that momentum. I think right now, Canelo is thinking about coming back for his mandatory.

“It’s disrespectful to say, test the hand out, but he’s coming back from that injury, and then he wants to challenge himself in September against Dmitry Bivol.

“Canelo-Beterbiev is a hell of a fight as well. F**k me. It’s a blood batch. A lots on the line for Canelo. I think the main focus is to see him back in the ring and doing what he does best and coming back from that injury,” said Hearn.