Dmitry Bivol is preparing for his next move after finally becoming the undisputed light heavyweight champion.
The Russian superstar bounced back from the first defeat of his career against Artur Beterbiev last October, defeating his rival via majority decision in their rematch on February 22 to capture the undisputed championship at 175lbs.
The second encounter between the pound-for-pound stars was just as good, if not better than their first showdown. The undeniable technical brilliance of both fighters meant fans were treated with 24 incredible rounds of boxing, although it remains to be seen whether a third showdown will be up next for the pair.
Another opponent that Bivol is said to be considering is WBC ‘Interim’ light heavyweight champion David Benavidez, who was recently declared as the mandatory challenger to the 34-year-old.
Speaking to Seconds Out, Bivol’s promoted Eddie Hearn admitted that Bivol’s next move is in the hands of Riyadh Season’s Turki Alalshikh. Alalshikh has publicly declared he has no interest in making the defence against Benavidez, and Hearn says dropping the WBC belt is ‘no problem’ if that is the case.
“We are doing whatever His Excellency wants us to do for the next fight, I would expect that to be, because of how he dealt with Bivol v. Beterbiev 1, I would expect that to be the trilogy fight.
“If His Excellency turns around and says ‘We want you to fight David Benavidez’, no problem. But we want to keep hold of all the belts, but if we have to lose one to follow His Excellency’s plan for Dmitry Bivol, no problem as well.”
Benavidez’s most recent victory came against David Morrell on February 1, outpointing the WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion over 12 competitive rounds to extend his unbeaten record to 30-0 and retain his WBC ‘Interim’ title.
