Despite Opponent Not Being Finalized Yet, Eddie Hearn Reveals Potential Next Year Fight Date for Dmitry Bivol

2024 comes with big promises from the boxing world. Leading on this front is the mastermind promoter, Eddie Hearn. Hearn has confirmed that the much-anticipated fight of Dmitry Bivol will take its course on the same night as Callum Smith vs. Artur Beterbiev. However, the promoter has not alluded much to the opponent that remains undecided for the Bivol matchup.

Bivol returns to the ring after a year-long hiatus owing to the WBC sanctions placed on Russian fighters. The sanctions came as a direct response from the body to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While the political upheaval kept Bivol from the ring, his expected fight against Artur Beterbiev fell through. The latter further went on to book a fight against another awaited opponent of Bivol, Callum Smith. Now, Eddie Hearn has strategically leveraged this development to make the light heavyweight class more exciting than ever.

Dmitry Bivol to fight parallel to Smith vs. Beterbiev

On the 13th of January, ‘Punisher’ Beterbiev will test his boxing acumen against ‘Mundo’ Smith. However, the Quebec City fight will not be the only one to take its course that night. Bivol’s promoter, Hearn has announced that on the same night in Vegas, ‘Kid Diamond’ will restart his career from where he left off.

Furthermore, the promoter also claimed that the winner of Beterbiev vs. Smith, which he hopes is the latter, will go on to compete against the winner of Bivol vs. whoever has decided to compete with him.

He said, “I think it’s a nice mix, you know? Obviously, I think, the winner of Callum Smith against Beterbiev, Callum Smith; will wanna fight the winner of Bivol against who? So, DAZN likes the mix. Everybody wants to make Bivol against the winner of that fight. Originally, it was Bivol-Beterbiev. Honestly, believe, Callum Smith will win that fight. So, we’ll see. But yeah, it will be both guys fighting on the same night. The winners hopefully fight the winners.”

While the world has chimed in with their speculations regarding Bivol’s next opponent, Hearn refused to even hint as to who it could be.

Who will fight Kid Diamond?

The Matchroom promoter continues to gatekeep information in pursuit of letting the speculation do the promotions for the big Dmitry Bivol return. When asked about who could the Russian fighter possibly fight on the 13th of January, the promoter refused to even hint at the prospective opponents. However, he did disclose that there remain four fighters with whom the money is being discussed.

He said, “Yeah, I mean we’ve got four guys we’re in play with at the moment. So we’ll have to say. I’m not gonna tell them to you know, while we’re negotiating their money. But yeah, be a good opponent for January 13th.” He also added that he is in constant conversation with Bivol’s team to ensure that an exciting fight is outlined for the fighter.

Also Read: Dmitry Bivol Denies Canelo Alvarez a Rematch at 175

Earlier, it was rumored that Bivol might even be considering dropping his weight to fight in super-middle weight class. But with Hearn’s revelation that he hopes to see the Russian fighter go against the winner of Beterbiev vs. Smith, Bivol will certainly remain in the 175-pound division. Furthermore, names like Joshua Buatsi have also emerged as potential opponents for him. But only the coming few weeks will tell the world who the coveted opponent is. Follow this space as we cover the developments on this front closely.

Meanwhile, throw in your picks for Bivol’s opponents in the comment section below.

Watch This Story: Five Potential Opponents for Artur Beterbiev After Magnificent TKO Victory Over Anthony Yarde