LAS VEGAS – If everything goes according to Dmitry Bivol’s blueprint Saturday night, the unbeaten WBA light heavyweight champion will keep a close eye on what happens June 18 at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater.
Bivol wants to fight whoever wins the 175-pound title unification bout between Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. because his goal is to become boxing’s first fully unified light heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. The Russian-born, Montreal-based Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) owns the IBF, WBA and WBC titles. Smith (28-3, 22 KOs), of Mastic, New York, holds the WBO belt.
“I think Beterbiev,” Bivol said when asked at MGM Grand this week who will win. “He has more power, I think, and he’s not just power. He has good boxing skills, he has good technical skills. But many people don’t see this. They see only power.”
Bivol, a Russian citizen who was born in Kyrgyzstan, isn’t sure whether the 37-year-old Beterbiev will keep his knockout streak intact.
“I don’t know [how], but I think Beterbiev [will] win,” Bivol said. “But it’s just my opinion.”
The 31-year-old Bivol already has soundly defeated Smith, who lost a 12-round unanimous decision to Bivol in March 2019 at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. The 32-year-old Smith buzzed Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) with a right hand that landed just before the bell sounded to end the 10th round, but Bivol otherwise outboxed the hard-hitting Smith.
Nevertheless, Bivol’s biggest fight is almost here, a title defense against Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez in a DAZN pay-per-view main event Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. The measured Bivol obviously is fully focused on how to upset the favored Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs), a four-division champion who is widely viewed as the best boxer, pound-for-pound, in the sport.
“I don’t think about what will be on May 8th,” Bivol said. “It means I don’t think about against who I will fight next, because [as] Vadim said that we had some negotiations about the Beterbiev fight, but it [didn’t] happen.”
Vadim Kornilov, Bivol’s manager, revealed during this group interview session that they thought they had a deal for a Beterbiev-Bivol bout that would’ve taken place this month somewhere in Russia. Those negotiations took place before Russia invaded Ukraine late in February and the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO agreed not to sanction title fights on Russian soil until the war in Ukraine ends.
“That was offered to happen in Russia in May,” Kornilov said. “It could’ve happened actually because it was offered before the Canelo fight was made. And the reason it didn’t happen is because [Beterbiev] was in Ramadan. … It just hasn’t happened. You know, it’s not something where somebody’s avoiding somebody.
“It hasn’t happened for one reason or another. The reason it didn’t happen [this] May is because Beterbiev couldn’t train [during] Ramadan [April 1-May 1]. This fight was offered to happen in Russia. Things just haven’t worked out the way they could’ve, you know?”
Bivol can’t complain, of course, because he’ll make more money for squaring off against Alvarez than he would’ve earned for battling Beterbiev.
“Of course, my goal is to be undisputed,” Bivol said. “I [talked] about it before. And I know how things happen. Joe Smith and Beterbiev [are with] the same promoter [Bob Arum]. It’s better to make them fight. [I’m] on DAZN, and Canelo chose DAZN maybe because he likes to work with Eddie Hearn. I don’t know why.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
