Dmitry Bivol is holding out for a meaningful fight. Widely regarded as one of the top two light-heavyweights on the planet, the WBA 175lbs champion is set to complete a fight-less year as he waits for career-defining bouts in 2021.
Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs) was last in action outscoring Lenin Castillo in October 2019, but has bypassed a marking time fight as he seeks meaningful challenges. The Russian’s stock has arguably been raised in recess after former victims Joe Smith Jr. and Jean Pascal scored big wins and forced their way back into contention in his absence.
The ideal opponent is still compatriot and unified champion Artur Beterbiev though former WBO 168lbs champion Gilberto Ramirez and previous foe Smith, who is set to contest the vacant WBO crown against Maxim Vlasov, hold an interest. A move down to 168lbs has also been mooted after the Covid-19 Pandemic placed Bivol’s career on ice.
“It seems that we are waiting for 2021 and we are aiming to fight in the first half of the spring. There is no exact information on the opponents yet,” Bivol told journalist Vasiliy Konov.
“I’m not motivated to simply request just any kind of fight – I want to have a good fight. And I understand the whole situation right now, that there are no options to meet with someone from the top ten of our weight division. And I don’t really want to fight for the sake of fighting.
“Right now, I need to wait. I’m not alone in believing in a bright future. I believe that at the beginning of next year I will receive an interesting offer.”