Injuries prolong fights. That is precisely what kept Dmitry Bivol outside of the ring. He last fought in November of last year. Prior to that, the undefeated Russian boxer shook up the world after defeating Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. The light-heavyweight champion defended his belts via a unanimous decision. Canelo’s defeat was undoubtedly one of the biggest upsets in 2022. Only two fighters had managed to defeat Alvarez, with Mayweather being the other one. Needless to say, he is one of the biggest names in the sport.
However, he has not been as active as the fans had anticipated. The reason behind it was his hand injury. But back in August, his promoter, Eddie Hearn, teased a comeback in November. However, it appears that might be off-the-cards for him. Delays in the fights of his possible opponents have been one of the reasons for his return. In that case, the question remains, who will he fight and when? Let’s take a look.
Eddie Hearn weighs in on Dmitry Bivol’s return
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The 32-year-old was inclined to fight the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Smith. He had set his eyes on the winner, as he wanted to fight for the undisputed title. However, it appears that this title fight might be kept in abeyance since the Beterbiev vs. Smith fight has been delayed yet again.
Although Bivol was waiting for this matchup to take place, it appears he does not want to keep himself out of the ring for that long. Recently, his promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed that the boxer would make a comeback in December and would then face the winner of Beterbiev vs. Smith.
Reflecting on the same, Hearn stated, “He’s been injured. He has had a hand injury for a while now, but he’s ready to go. Ready to go in December and we are in talks with him about opponents. Difficult, because really, I say the only fight he’s interested in, but just he wants the undisputed championship. So he wants the winner of Callum Smith and Beterbiev. But at the same time, that fight has now been delayed, so he has to fight in the meantime.”
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🔙🔜 @bivol_d pic.twitter.com/kftFDEgTEU
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) October 2, 2023
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He added, “So, we are looking for him to fight in December and then I think he has to fight the winner of that fight and I think it’s a mega fight.” It would be hard to deny Hearn’s assessment. Although he did not mention any potential opponent or a decisive date. But it bears a mention that they do have a plan in place.
So one can sit back and watch how the cards unfold. Until then, we are curious to know, in an ideal world, who would you like to see Bivol fight? Share with us your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
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