WBA 175-lb champion Dmitry Bivol has inked his part of the contract to battle for the light heavyweight undisputed championship in Saudi Arabia in 2024 against IBF/WBC/WBO champ Artur Beterbiev.
Dmitry has talked nonstop about wanting to fight for the undisputed championship since his victory over Canelo Alvarez last year, and he’s now on the precipice of getting his wish if Beterbiev comes through in his next fight.
Bivol Ready, Beterbiev’s Test Looms
For the fight to take place, however, the 39-year-old Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) must defeat his #1 WBC mandatory Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) on January 13th at the Centre Videotron, Quebec City. If Beterbiev loses the fight, which is very possible, the clash between him and Bivol will NOT happen.
This a dangerous fight for Beterbiev, as the 6’4″ Smith is in the prime of his career, motivated and looking powerful. If Callum shows the same form as he has since moving up to 175 in 2021, he wins this fight by knockout, considering that Beterbiev isn’t what he once was when he fought in the 2012 Olympics and arguably beat Oleksandr Usyk in that competition.
Dan Rafael is reporting that the 33-year-old Bivol has signed his part of the contract for the Beterbiev undisputed champion. Now, it’s up to Beterbiev to do his part to make that fight happen.
Will age diminish the spectacle?
The fight between Beterbiev & Bivol has been talked about for the last six years, and it’s too bad that it’s taken this long, as it would have had more meaning if it had happened when Artur was younger.
Beterbiev has slowed down in the last two years, and it’s harder for him to land his crushing shots like he used to. If the fight with Bivol does happen, it’s going to be difficult for Beterbiev to connect against his younger and faster opponent, who will box and not take chances.
With Beterbiev nearing 40 years old, what credit will Bivol receive from the fans if he defeats him? The casual fans, who aren’t aware of Beterbiev’s age and how late in his career this fight is taking place, they’ll be impressed, but the hardcore fans will view this as another example of a clash that has marinated too long.
The long overdue Beterbiev-Bivol fight is in the same boat as the Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder or AJ vs. Tyson Fury fights. Those contests should have happened years ago, not with them now in their mid-30s, looking washed, and only winning now due to clever match-making from their calculating promoters.
Bivol successfully defeated challenger Lyndon Arthur by a twelve round unanimous decision last Saturday night on December 23rd, on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Callum Smith: An Unexpected Wildcard
There’s no word yet whether the Saudis would be interested in staging a fight between Bivol and Callum Smith in 2024 for the undisputed 175-lb championship.
Obviously, that match-up wouldn’t interest Americans because the 33-year-old Callum isn’t well known in the U.S., and the boxing fans that do know of him remember his terrible performance losing to Canelo Alvarez in 2020 and his controversial win over John Ryder in 2019.
Callum wilted under pressure in both fights and shelled up against the ropes like a turtle or sparring partner. Those contests showed that Callum doesn’t like fighting aggressive opponents who can punch back.
If you saw how badly Beterbiev struggled in his last fight against Anthony Yarde last January, you’ve got to give Callum a good chance of winning this fight, provided he doesn’t fall apart mentally from the pressure he will put on by the powerful Russian. Beterbiev looked slow in that fight, not the champion he’d been in 2017.
