By Dan Ambrose: Dmitry Bivol could drop down to 168 to challenge Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed super middleweight championship in his next fight following his victory over Gilberto Ramirez on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi.
At the post-fight press conference, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn was asked who he wants Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) to face next. He revealed that he prefers that he move down to 168 to fight Canelo in a rematch for his undisputed championship rather than waiting around for an undisputed clash against IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in 2023.
Hearn says that Beterbiev won’t be free to fight Bivol until the summer because he’s got a title defense against Anthony Yarde in February, and then he has Ramadan after that, which will keep him out of the ring until the summer.
“It’s pretty obvious that Dmitry Bivol is about legacy and belts. He wants to become undisputed. That’s his absolute main focus,” said Eddie Hearn after the fight at the post-fight press conference when asked if Bivol will fight Canelo Alvarez next.
“Obviously, on my side, we want to make the biggest fights possible. The Canelo Alvarez rematch is a very big fight, but the priority for Dmitry is to be the undisputed.
“However, if Beterbiev fights Yarde in January or February and then goes into Ramadan, then he probably won’t be ready to fight Dmitry until June, July, whatever.
“We have to look as a team. We also have to look at the possibility of Dmitry fighting Canelo at 168 for undisputed. He could fight Canelo Alvarez at 168 for undisputed. If he won that fight, he could fight Beterbiev in his next fight for undisputed at 175 and become a two-time undisputed champion in two fights.
“I have no idea if he can make 168,” said Hearn. “We’ve worked with him [Bivol] and worked with [manager] Vadim [Kornilov] for a long time.
“There were times when we felt a little bit lost. We didn’t know what the direction was and where was he a draw, and he was so good that people didn’t want to fight him.
“Vadim always believed in us. He said, ‘I know you’ll deliver for us,’ and then COVID came, and he had to take a fight for small money against Craig Richards behind closed doors.
“There were times I was thinking, ‘I don’t know.’ They just said, ‘Give him the opportunity, and he’ll show everybody how good he is. Really, you have to thank Canelo Alvarez because he gave Dmitry the opportunity.
“Even though he [Canelo] was fighting for his belt, that was the fight against the pound-for-pound #1. Canelo Alvarez picked Dmitry. No one else would, and said, ‘I think I can beat him,’ which shows how great they both are because they want to fight the best.
“Now he fights Zurdo, and you’re talking about Beterbiev. It’s amazing the turnaround. That comes from a belief from Vadim and Andry Rabinsky in Dmitry Bivol and also in us, and eventually, we delivered.
“It feels really good now to see him fight Canelo Alvarez in Vegas and Zurdo Ramirez in Abu Dhabi and make a lot of money. He doesn’t like to talk about that, but this is a tough sport, a dangerous sport, and it’s our job to make sure these guys get rewarded for taking part in the sport.
“Every fighter wants the best deals, but he also wants a legacy in the sport. The problem was, he was so good, and his profile wasn’t big enough, and people wouldn’t fight him. Now, he’s a pound-for-pound superstar.
“Sounds good,” said Bivol.
“Of course, I’m glad I’m the first to defeat Zurdo. 44 fights he won before, and now I’m the first to beat him. It means a lot to me,” said Dmitry Bivol at the post-fight press conference after beating Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez on Saturday night.
“I wanted to fight him three years ago, and now I did it. It means a lot to me. I prove. I didn’t expect from him to have good timing. He’s slow. I see his punches. He’s slower than me, but he has good timing.
“When I threw punch, he would counterattack on my body. This is good homework. He punched me many times to the body. It was good punches.
“Yeah, I saw a couple of moments, but he has good defense too,” said Bivol when asked if he felt he had a chance to knock out Ramirez. “In sparring sessions, I tried to come forward because I knew he threw a lot of punches.
“When you throw a lot of punches, it means they’re not strong. They’re easy, and you can push your opponent. If your opponent doesn’t throw a lot of punches, it’s hard punches. Usually, he moves forward.
“I didn’t surprise because I expect that,” said Bivol when asked if he was surprised that Ramirez didn’t throw more body shots. “He punched me many times in the body. It was good punches.
“I tried to be close to Ramirez all the fight. To be close every time to keep him in the focus. Every time, I wanted him to throw punches and expend his gas.
“Are you serious, yeah?” said Bivol when told that he looked better tonight against Ramirez than he did against Canelo Alvarez last May. “Thank you. Yeah, I try to better every time.
“I felt I won the fight. In a couple of rounds, I tried to give him to take his energy back,” said Bivol.
