Could we see a Dmitry Bivol – Joshua Buatsi fight happen in the UK?
In the eyes of many, WBA Light Heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol’s October 12 unanimous decision over Lenin Castillo on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Chazz Witherspoon under-card was a lukewarm performance.
Bivol himself admitted afterwards he wasn’t completely satisfied with how he fought telling the media he has to “show a more aggressive fight.”
Bivol (17-0, 11 KO’s) wished he could have been more impressive, but also made a point to criticize the effort of Castillo (20-3-1, 15 KO’s) as he couldn’t understand why the challenger didn’t fight with more vigor and was unwilling to put it all on the line.
While happy that he was able to retain his title and “remain in the game”, it’s on to what he hopes are bigger and better bouts in 2020 for the 28 year-old from Saint Petersburg, Russia.
During a sit down interview in his dressing room with IFL TV following his win over Castillo, Bivol discussed what he would like to accomplish in 2020.
While his goal is to fight one of the other world champions (WBC Oleksandr Gvozdyk, WBO champion Sergey Kovalev, IBF champion Artur Beterbiev) in a unification showdown, Bivol was also asked about fighting highly-touted UK contender Joshua Buatsi.
Ranked #2 by the WBA, Buatsi (12-0, 10 KO’s) is due to figh the 8th ranked contender Blake Caparello (30-3-1, 13 KO’s) on November 2 in Manchester, England.
A win by Buatsi would make him the mandatory for Bivol’s title. Not only did Bivol claim he would relish the opportunity to fight the talented Buatsi, Bivol stated he would have no problem going to the UK to fight Buatsi.
“Yeah, why not. It’s a good fight because he’s getting to be famous in the UK. I like UK fans, because they love boxing.
“I would love to fight him [Buatsi]. Why not? He’s a good fighter, and he’s a bronze medalist in the Olympic games. If he’s mandatory, I would give him a chance, because he has a good name.”
When asked if he’s willing to venture to the UK to fight Buatsi, Bivol said “yeah, why not.” However, he qualified this by saying he’s willing to fight the 26 year-old from London if he can’t get a fight with one of the other world champions.
WBC champ Gvozdyk and IBF champ Beterbiev are fighting each other in a unification showdown on October 19 while Kovalev is set to fight “Canelo” Alvarez in a big-money showdown on Nov. 2.
While Bivol has publicly expressed a desire to fight the other world champions, there has not been an equal desire from the other world champions to take the fight.
Buatsi is arguably the best prospect in the UK. His promoter Eddie Hearn is heavily invested in him and views him not only as a future world champion, but a superstar in the making.
Even for a fighter of such limited experience, the talent of the UK prospect is obvious to those who have seen him fight.
However, does that mean Buatsi is ready for the likes of Bivol who may be the most skilled Light Heavyweight in the world?
From a business standpoint, the Russian champion may be the odd man out in the divisional picture with the other three champions associated with Top Rank/ESPN.
As a result, we could very well see a Bivol – Buatsi at some point in 2020. Not only is are the two signed with Matchroom Promotions, but the champ would make good money fighting the likes of the popular UK fighter.
This is prognosticating of course, but for the immediate future a unification bout does not look to be on the horizon for Bivol. To many, Buatsi does not look to be ready for a title shot right now.
Given his talent and how fast he’s developing, however, he has the look of a fighter who will be ready to step in the ring with Bivol sooner than later.
Furthermore because of all of those variables, if I was a betting man, I would bet that we will indeed see this bout at some point during the later half of 2020 in the UK.
As a matter of fact, would you really be surprised if Hearn is behind the scenes plotting to make it happen?
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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