WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol is no longer in pursuit of a rematch with Canelo Alvarez and is seeking to play his cards right, so he lands in the squared circle against Artur Beterbiev, the unified WBC, WBO, and IBF titlist of the division, for the undisputed championship.
Dmitry Bivol predicts victory for Beterbiev against Smith
Bivol will be taking on Lyndon Arthur this Saturday night on December 23rd, which is the final step before earning the undisputed championship against the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Smith on January 13th.
Two weeks to go!
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Tickets: https://t.co/gg4krRE3cY#RiyadhSeason #DayOfReckoning pic.twitter.com/21J1TtiQqN— Dmitry Bivol (@bivol_d) December 9, 2023
While Bivol expects to emerge victorious against Arthur, he is also rooting for Beterbiev against Smith, to the liking of many fans who are also forecasting the same, so the undisputed clash will be between the two Russians.
“I hope that I win this fight, and my name fight will be for the undisputed in my weight class [175], not at super middleweight because the subject with Canelo is closed. I have my own way,” Bivol Told Fight Hype.
“I give him more chance to win than Callum Smith,” the Russian answered when questioned regarding his prediction of Beterbiev vs. Smith. “I respect him [Beterbiev] as an athlete and boxer but nothing more. He’s my future opponent, and he’s in my division. He has something that I want. I have to have a good camp, and I can beat him.”
Bivol is not interested in the Canelo rematch anymore
Canelo vs. Bivol was one of the most anticipated fights of 2022, but left fans wanting more as the 175-pound clash ended in a rather one-sided unanimous decision win for Bivol, increasing the anticipation for a rematch even more.
However, although Bivol thumbed up going down to 168 for the rematch, there was little response from the undisputed super middleweight champ, and without any proper development towards making Bivol vs. Canelo 2, the Russian says he is no more focused on the rematch.
“I can make 168, but only for a belt and nothing else. Canelo has four belts, and this is why I wanted to fight him,” Bivol commented on the rematch. “Now, we have our way. Right now, I’m focused on Lyndon Arthur first and then on my goal of becoming light heavyweight division. This is more realistic than other fights.” [H/T Boxing News 24/7]
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