WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol has his eyes set on greatness as he challenges for the undisputed title in four weeks’ time, but there is one former foe who claims that he is ready to avenge defeat and rematch the Russian.
Bivol will take on the only current world champion with a 100% knockout ratio when he fights unified title-holder Artur Beterbiev on June 1st – in what many feel is a genuine 50/50 clash and quite possibly one of the bouts of the year, headlining what is undeniably set to be one of the events of the year.
On that card is a former opponent of Dmitry Bivol’s in former British champion Craig Richards, who unsuccessfully challenged for the WBA title in 2021 on the Derek Chisora vs. Joseph Parker bill in Manchester, losing 115-114, 115-113, 118-110 on the judges’ scorecards.
To this day, only Canelo Alvarez has come as close to Richards was to dethroning the undefeated technician and in an interview with Queensberry, Richards claims that he is ready to go one better in a potential rematch.
“Yeah, 100%, [this version of Craig Richards beats Dmitry Bivol]. This Craig now, would destroy that Craig [that fought Bivol]. So, it that Craig was close with him then, then I know that I could do the same with these guys [that Bivol has fought]. That is what it is about now, showing what I have learnt and the new version of me.
“It is one thing doing it in the gym, obviously now I am having more success and I have brought in a lot of old sparring partners that I sparred back then, to spar now.
“The success level is completely different, but it is one thing doing it in the gym, it is about implicating it on the night. For me and myself, I want to try and make sure that I try to do what I am doing in the gym on fight nights. It is an important night for myself.”
Despite the inactivity of ‘Spider’ Richards, who has fought just once since May 2022, the Brit still finds himself ranked as high as sixth with the WBA and 15th with the WBC.
He will face Scotland’s Willy Hutchinson (17-1), who is ranked seventh with both the WBC and the WBO, on the Beterbiev-Bivol undercard, in one of many perceived pick ‘em bouts on the ‘Matchroom versus Queensberry’ five versus five bill in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
However, any potential rematch with Bivol will require Richards to go on an impressive winning streak, with David Benavidez, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell way above him in the pecking order.
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