By Dan Ambrose: Promoter Eddie Hearn says Dmitry Bivol could wind up on the undercard of the Devin Haney vs. Regis Prograis card on December 9th on DAZN PPV.
Adding Bivol to the card would be one way of increasing the buy rate, as he’s popular in the U.S. following his victory over Canelo Alvarez last year.
Hearn says he’s in talks with DAZN, but he’s unsure whether Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) will agree to that date. The top contenders in the WBA’s 175-lb rankings have declined to take the fight with Bivol.
Fighting on the undercard of Haney-Prograis would be a step backward for WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol, as he’s been headlining lately with his fights against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and Canelo Alvarez last year.
Hearn didn’t say what the alternatives are for Bivol if he declines the undercard slot on the Haney vs. Prograis card on December 9th. Bivol needs to get back in action, as he’s not fought since last November due to a hand injury.
Bivol had hoped to fight Canelo again in a rematch, but the Mexican star chose not to face him again. Initially, Canelo had wanted to rematch Bivol to try and avenge his loss from last year, but he’s strung it out over three fights, continually putting it off.
It’s obvious that Canelo doesn’t like his chances in a second fight with Bivol, so he’s chosen not to face him again.
“There are talks about him possibly fighting on the Haney show, but we’re in talks with DAZN. December 2nd was potentially a U.S. that will probably become a UK day now. I don’t know how that will sit with Dmitry Bivol, but he needs to fight and is ready to fight,” said Eddie Hearn to the International Boxing News channel, about the return of WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.
Financially, it might not work for DAZN to add Bivol to the December 9th card because Haney is going to be getting a huge purse. Haney isn’t the type of talent Bivol is, but he’s an American and better known.
Bivol being avoided
“I remember going into the Canelo fight and people asking me, ‘Does Bivol stand a chance? Does he stand a chance? He’s probably going to win this fight, or he’s going to get robbed,’ which is what Paulie and I spoke about quite a bit leading up to that fight,” said Chris Algieri to the ProBox TV site about Bivol’s fight last year against Canelo Alvarez.
“He’s phenomenal. He’s not as fan-friendly as a lot of fighters, he’s not as well known worldwide, the money’s not there, and he’s dangerous. You’re not going to beat the guy, and that’s a terrible style to fight. I don’t want to fight that guy.
“I’m going to miss him, and he’s going to crack me and counter and not going to be able to touch him. He’s a big risk but not much reward,” said Algieri about Bivol.
“He’s a guy that is so dangerous that people want to stay away from him because the risk is not worth the reward,” said Paulie Malignaggi, talking about Bivol.
“Even if Canelo was as well good as Bivol, which he’s not, and I don’t think he’s ever been, but at a certain point, the money is so good that you’ll take it for the beating. ‘I’ll take the fight anyway. I’ll give it a shot no matter what.’
“When it’s someone like Bivol, who doesn’t sell enough for his worth as his worth is in the ring, which is incredible worth inside the ring, but he’s not marketable outside the ring.
“Now, all of a sudden, you’re like, ‘That’s not worth the beating. That’s not even worth the risk of the beating. I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m going to do right now.’
“The real shame is they politicize him with him being from Russia. They kind of throw that in the mix and kind of ostracize him a little bit, I’ve noticed, because of the Russian-Ukraine war, as if the guy has anything to do with the politics of it.
“I don’t think that’s fair either. So, it’s a little bit of a mix of everything. That’s why the guy has no pony yet,” said Malignaggi about Bivol.
