WBA Light-Heavyweight Champion, Dmitry Bivol, has named the man he believes to be the biggest puncher in the sport, across all weight-divisions.
Bivol is undefeated in his twenty-one fight career and has emerged as a pound-for-pound boxer, handing Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez his first defeat in over seven years. That win propelled the Russian into superstardom and the 175lber became one of the most respected fighters in boxing.
Six months later, Bivol made a fifth defence of his WBA Super strap, where he outpointed and outclassed Zurdo Ramirez, who has won his other forty-four bouts as a professional.
The performance proved that Bivol’s win over Canelo was neither a fluke or down to his natural physical advantages, but instead because of his talent, and as a result the 32-year-old was crowned as ‘The Ring Magazine’s 2022 Fighter of the Year’.
Bivol hasn’t been in the ring since, as fans wait for him to face his fellow light-heavyweight champion, Artur Beterbiev in a battle for the undisputed title. Political complications have prevented that clash from happening, due to the WBC’s stance on Russian athletes, and injuries have led to a twelve-month spell of inactivity for Bivol.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Bivol was full of praise for his rival, calling him the hardest puncher in the sport.
“The fight against Beterbiev is a great fight, to be honest. For me, as an athlete, I see him as a great fighter. He’s a very big puncher, the biggest puncher in boxing today, not just in the light-heavyweight weight-class.
For me, it is interesting to check my skills against an opponent like him.”
Beterbiev has unquestionable power, boasting a 100% knockout ratio in his 19 fights as a professional, but heavyweight big hitter, Deontay Wilder, might disagree with Bivol on this one.