Dmitry Bivol achieved his career long dream at the beginning of the year.
The 34-year-old from Russia defeated Artur Beterbiev in their highly-anticipated rematch on February 22 to capture the undisputed light-heavyweight championship after another entertaining twelve round contest in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He is now expected to face Beterbiev in a huge trilogy showdown at the back end of this year, but a third encounter between the pair will be contested for the WBA, WBO and IBF titles at 175lbs after Bivol opted to vacate his WBC crown.
The unbeaten David Benavidez was declared as the new WBC light-heavyweight champion last month after he had been named as the mandatory challenger to the WBC belt.
In a shock claim made on The Joe Rogan Experience by film director Peter Berg, who opened the Matchroom Churchill Boxing Gym with promoter Eddie Hearn, it has been speculated that ‘The Monster’ sensationally dropped Bivol during a sparring session they previously had.
“I have to retract something that I said because I was wrong. I said Bivol dropped Benavidez at Churchill Boxing Club with a jab, I remembered it wrong, it was Benavidez that dropped Bivol.
I don’t know why I remembered it wrong but I did, and I suspected actually when I was saying it that I was wrong, but it was Benavidez that dropped Bivol, straight up, with an incredible jab.”
Benavidez is now gearing up for his first world title defence at light-heavyweight, which could come against former super-middleweight champion Callum Smith, who recently picked up the WBO ‘Interim’ title at 175lbs.
