Bivol Reiterates Willingness To Fight At Super Middleweight
When you look at the 175-pound landscape, there is no doubt WBA world “Super” Light Heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs) is one of the top fighters around. Those who have seen him in the ring know that he can flat-out fight.
The problem for the talented 29-year-old from Saint Petersburg, Russia is that there is no immediate big fight for him on the horizon. Frustrated by his inability to land a high-profile, big unification showdown against any of the other world champions within his division, Bivol has previously said he’s willing to drop down in weight to super middleweight to search for a significant fight.
During a virtual interview with host Chris Lloyd, host of Matchroom Boxing’s The Lockdown Tapes podcast, the Russian was clear that his goal is to fight a unification bout at 175. However, also he reiterated a willingness to drop down in weight if he has to, expressing an interest in fighting the likes of Canelo Alvarez and WBA “Super” World Super Middleweight champion Callum Smith, someone he fought during their amateur days.
“I boxed Callum Smith in Hungary as an amateur and to be honest, I don’t remember this fight at all! At the time, he was just a tall guy with good skills from Great Britain and I had to beat him. I think in the pro’s, if we were to fight now, it would be great for the British and Russian fans. It is a good fight for boxing because he is a champion at 168lbs and I am a champion at 175lbs. I want to fight the best in the world and he is now one of the best.
Canelo at super middleweight is a big fight, but everyone wants to fight him. He is just a man, he is just a boxer. You can earn money with him and it is a good opportunity to show your boxing skills to the whole world because of his massive fan base”.
The dilemma with Bivol is despite his association with Matchroom Boxing, is he a big enough name for the elite fighters to step in the ring with? And can those elite fighters make big money fighting him?
Bivol is good enough to defeat anyone at either 168 or 175lbs. However, he may be a fighter who is too good for his good and the sport’s latest example of high risk/low reward fighter, a label no fighter wants to have.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
