Dmitry Bivol says he doesn’t feel any pressure to try and go out and score a stoppage of challengers when he defends his WBA light heavyweight title against him this Saturday, December 23rd, on DAZN PPV at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Bivol is fighting on the undercard in a Saudi event that is loaded with heavyweights, and many of their fights will likely end by knockout. This is the first fight for Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) in over a year, so it’s important that he get some rounds in rather than looking to knock out the 32-year-old Arthur (23-1, 16 KOs).
Scoring a knockout isn’t a priority for the former Canelo Alvarez conqueror, Bivol. He wants to get the victory, get the thirteen months of ring rust off, and continue towards his path to fight for the undisputed 175-lb championship against the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Smith clash on January 13th.
It would be a good idea for Bivol to at least try to make it entertaining against Lyndon, considering his last fight against Gilberto Ramirez put fans to sleep. He could have done a lot more to make it exciting for the boxing public.
For Bivol to capitalize on the increase in popularity from his win over Canelo last year, he should make an effort to to knockout Arthur and try and steal the show from heavyweights Anthony Joshua & Deontay Wilder on Saturday’s card.
The Saudis signed the 32-year-old Bivol with the idea of setting a unification match if he’s victorious against Lyndon Arthur. There’s obviously not a lot of interest in Bivol’s fight with Arthur, as this is a tune-up-level fight for the Russian fighter.
Bivol tight-lipped on tactics for Lyndon fight
“I’m focused more on my weight class because I can see a way how I can become undisputed champion,” said Dmitry Bivol to Fighthype when asked if he’d like to come down to 168. “Now, we have Saudi Arabia, who could make the undisputed fight in the light heavyweight division.
“We will see on December 23rd. I don’t want to say on how I’m going to fight with him. We will see on the fight night,” said Bivol on his fight with Arthur. “I didn’t think about it before you told me,” said Bivol when asked if he’ll feel pressure to try and knockout Lyndon due to the many heavyweights on the card, who will likely be knocking out their opponents.
It’s pretty obvious that Bivol will box Lyndon like he always does, and if the knockout comes, it comes. The 32-year-old Arthur was stopped in the fourth round by Anthony Yarde in their rematch in 2021, but he’s won his last four fights since against domestic-level opposition.
“I just know that I have to be myself. I don’t want to think about. I don’t want to think like this. I have to be myself,” said Bivol. “I have to be the best version when I’m going in the ring, and that’s it.
“Fight for all four belts. This fight should be there in 2024, and another fight, too,” said Bivol on what would be the perfect year for him in 2024. “I want to have two fights minimum, and I want to be undisputed, but we will see.”
Beterbiev will be turning 39 years old on January 21st, and he’s not the fighter he was several years ago. While a victory for Bivol over Beterbiev would be a big deal, it’s not the same as it would have been if this fight had taken place when Artur was younger.
“I don’t want to look forward too much. It’s so far. I have to see the short way. If you see far, you will not reach anything,” said Bivol.
Dmitry took a break this year
“They have the ability to make it happen. I was tired from last year. Last year was really busy for me,” said Bivol on why he took a year off after his last fight against Gilberto Ramirez in November 2022.
“I was resting for half a year, and then we were discussing fighting against Munguia and someone else, but it wasn’t a good offer to us. It wasn’t close to making this fight happen, and then I told my team that I wanted to get treatment for my hand, and then I would rest more. I will clean my mind, and then I will get some fights.”
It was never realistic for Bivol to try and set up a fight with Jaime Munguia because he’s been groomed for a payday clash against Canelo Alvarez for the past ten years. Golden Boy would never let Munguia fight Bivol unless Canelo was retired, and there was no chance of a fight happening.
“I like Terence Crawford, and he’s undisputed in two weight classes. I think he’s the best fighter now. When I came to a boxing gym, the first rule was, ‘You should respect weight classes,’ but I don’t know what he’s going to eat,” said Bivol when asked if Terence Crawford stands a chance against Canelo Alvarez at 168.
“He’s the best fighter, and everything he’s planning, it shouldn’t look like it’s crazy. If he’s thinking about it and talking about it, it means that it’s possible.”
Crawford could get a shot against Canelo next year in May or September, and then fans will get a chance to compare his performance to that of Bivol. What would be interesting is if Crawford beats Canelo and whether he would be willing to fight Bivol. Now, that would take real courage.
“I think at one moment, he felt that he should respect this weight class, and he respect, I think,” said Bivol on whether Canelo decided to move back down to 168 because he decided that he respected the 175-lb division, viewing it as too much for him.
“Both of the fighters are really good. I like both of them,” said Bivol when asked who will win between Canelo and David Benavidez. “It’s a very interesting fight, but I can’t make a statement on who is going to win.
“It depends on how the training camp will be and many reasons, but Benavidez has many chances of beating him, of course.
