Dmitry Bivol has ‘bizarre’ two-fight return plan according to Eddie Hearn

[Ruthless-RKO]

Dmitry Bivol has ‘bizarre’ two-fight return plan according to Eddie Hearn

The 175-pound titleholder missed all of 2020, and Eddie Hearn is planning something strange, apparently.

Dmitry Bivol still holds the WBA light heavyweight title, though you’d be forgiven a bit for forgetting, since the 30-year-old Russian hasn’t been in the ring since his Oct. 2019 win over Lenin Castillo, itself a fairly forgettable event.

Bivol (17-0, 11 KO) has talked a lot about his willingness to move down to 168 to fight Canelo Alvarez, and while that’s probably not on the table for 2021, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn had a curious comment updating Bivol’s status when sitting down for a Matchroom YouTube video.

“Actually, we’re planning something quite bizarre, it’s going to surprise a lot of people,” Hearn said. “Two fights, one in April and one in July, both in different countries. Let’s just say that. But two good fights. And after a long period of inactivity, Dmitry Bivol looks like he’s about to get very busy.”

Given the “quite bizarre” comment, there’s really no telling what Bivol might be doing, because boxing has been really digging into the “bizarre” lately. With the way boxing has gone, Bivol could wind up fighting Robin Krasniqi in April and KSI in July.

As for what people might actually want to see, Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez is ranked No. 4 by the IBF, behind Krasniqi (interim champ), Joshua Buatsi, and Blake Caparello. Hearn also mentions he wants to get the eliminator between Buatsi and Caparello put together, so neither of them are likely in line for Bivol. Ramirez is promoting himself, but a one-off or short-term deal with Matchroom could be beneficial; if it’s good enough for Canelo, surely they could offer something good enough for Zurdo.

Beyond that, Bivol’s higher-ranked WBA contenders aren’t going to get anyone excited. Charles Foster, Dominic Boesel, Vyacheslav Shabranskyy, Craig Richards, Marcus Browne, and Mathieu Bauderlique round out the top 10. Callum Smith might be able to slip in there if he decides to move to 175 — surely the WBA would be amenable to ranking Smith high enough at 175 for a title shot.

But hopefully the “bizarre” plan is something interesting, at least half of it. Plus it’ll be good to get Bivol active again, period.

[N2 Shape]

Watch him slide down to 168 to test the waters as they look to set up a Canelo fight BUT at the same time defend his 175 belt. So he fights at 168 defending the 175 belt that's the bizzare

[Ruthless-RKO]

Watch him slide down to 168 to test the waters as they look to set up a Canelo fight BUT at the same time defend his 175 belt. So he fights at 168 defending the 175 belt that's the bizzare

That’s probably it..

[Evander]

I think Sugar Ray Leonard and Donny Lalonde did this back in 1988 ?

[H8Usernames]

For setting up the Canelo fight the best route is a fight in Mexico vs Julio Cesar jr and then a UK fight vs Chris Eubank jr.

[Evander]

Telling me Bivol will get a decision over Chavez Jr in Mexico ?

[Evander]

That's a big ask.

[lazboy]

That's a big ask.

Evander you are no good today. Go home. Get some rest please. I'll tell you more about my childhood another time.

[margaret thatcher]

That's a big ask.

I'd be surprised if junior legitimately won a round vs bivol

[fanman]

Shouldn't he fight Beterbiev?! And then the winner can be Canelo's ultimate challenge!

[margaret thatcher]

he should but this is boxing, so he'll end up fighting some like matt balderlique instead

[caldo2025]

Who cares? No ones biting their nails waiting for this dip$hit to get in the ring. How a champion can hang onto a belt with this rate of idleness shows you exactly what’s wrong with boxing.

Had I paid attention in college those 7 years and I was atop of management at one of these alphabet straps, if you haven’t fought since 2019 then you can go screw. That’s just me. What an F’ng joke this guy is. I don’t care how good he is. It’s 2021!! He hasn’t fought since October 2019. Ah, Boxing. What are you doing ????

[Perseus]

If Bivol fought Chavez there would be no reason to worry about a decision.
JCCjr would quit on his stool after 5 or 6 rounds.

[DrDuke]

If Bivol fought Chavez there would be no reason to worry about a decision.
JCCjr would quit on his stool after 5 or 6 rounds.

I can easily see something like that. Hopefully Bivol and Beterbiev fight less such mismatches and face each other sooner.

[Evander]

That's a big ask.

Evander you are no good today. Go home. Get some rest please. I'll tell you more about my childhood another time.

No offence, but I'd rather bypass your childhood stories of being forced to wear a dress and having your hair in pigtails.
Let's try and keep it boxing related please, thanks in advance

[lazboy]

That's a big ask.

Evander you are no good today. Go home. Get some rest please. I'll tell you more about my childhood another time.

No offence, but I'd rather bypass your childhood stories of being forced to wear a dress and having your hair in pigtails.
Let's try and keep it boxing related please, thanks in advance

Awww that’s ok Vandie...I’ll keep the stories for private messages. You message me a anytime you like and stay Covid safe you

[Evander]

Evander you are no good today. Go home. Get some rest please. I'll tell you more about my childhood another time.

No offence, but I'd rather bypass your childhood stories of being forced to wear a dress and having your hair in pigtails.
Let's try and keep it boxing related please, thanks in advance

Awww that’s ok Vandie...I’ll keep the stories for private messages. You message me a anytime you like and stay Covid safe you

Cool your jets, talk about the fight and what can potentially happen.
Bivol on the road in Mexico should it go to a decision could possibly swing against him, that's not controversial.
There's many aspects to the fight, that's just one of them.
Elaborate, use your imagination.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release

Derek Chisora and Joseph Parker will collide in a heavyweight clash on a night of action that sees Irish star Katie Taylor defend her Undisputed Lightweight crown against former amateur rival Natasha Jonas and undefeated WBA Light-Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol put his Title on the line against Craig Richards, as well as the return of Chris Eubank Jr, live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and on DAZN in all markets excluding the UK, Ireland, China, New Zealand and Samoa.

Russia’s Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs) is regarded as one of the best technical boxers in the sport, mixing his dazzling skills with KO power. The 30-year-old was elevated to full WBA 175lbs World Champion from interim champion ahead of his 12th pro fight with Trent Broadhurst in Monte Carlo in November 2017 and celebrated with a devasting one-punch KO in the first round. Bivol has subsequently defended his crown five times, but has been away from the ring since October 2019 when he widely outpointed Lenin Castillo at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Richards (16-1-1, 9 KOs) delivered a Fight of the Year contender last time out in December against fierce rival Shakan Pitters as he stopped the Birmingham man in nine rounds to earn the British Light-Heavyweight crown. ‘Spider’ is ranked at No.8 in the WBA world rankings and has earned his shot by remaining undefeated since sole career loss against former World Title challenger Frank Buglioni in October 2017.

“I have been out of the ring for a year and a half and I have sorely missed boxing,” said Bivol. “I can’t wait to step through the ropes for my next fight on May 1st. I have always wanted to fight in the UK and I’m happy to tick that box. Craig Richards is a fast and technical boxer and I’m expecting a great fight as I make another defence of my World Title.”

“I feel good and I feel very confident,” said Richards. “I know that he’s renowned as one of the best fighters out there, but I just believe that I’ve got the tools to beat him and I’m very confident in my abilities. I know I’ve got power as well, and I’ve got a very good chin. We’ve been planning for everything and anything.

"We know he’s been operating at world level for a long time and can bring different things to the table. I raise the level of my performance against my better opponents. The bigger the fight the better I perform. A fight like Bivol will allow me to go through my gears to show what I’m really about.”

Having previously campaigned at Super-Middleweight, Eubank Jr (29-2, 22 KOs) returned to the Middleweight division to claim the WBA Interim Middleweight World Title for the second time with a TKO win over former World Title challenger in December 2019, while making his US debut at the Barclays Centre in New York. In what will be his first fight back in the UK in over two years, the Brighton man faces Manchester’s Marcus Morrison (23-3, 16 KOs), who is enjoying a seven-fight winning streak that stretches back to June 2018.

“This is a good fight for me," said Eubank Jr. "Since signing with Sauerland my camp has been firing on all cylinders, I’ve been training with Roy in Miami and focusing on improving my game. I have the absolute best people around me, I have everything I need to push on to that next level and dominate the Middleweight scene.

"People have a lot to say about me and my career. There's talks about why fights haven’t happened previously, but all I’ve been doing is focusing on number one, training hard and making sure I’m always ready. I’m now in the best place I can be and I’m ready to take what is mine.”

"I’m well aware that this is a massive opportunity and fight for me and my career," said Morrison. "I got into boxing at the age of 7, and these are the type of fights I’ve always wanted to be involved in. Chris is a very good fighter, and I know what he brings to the table. I honestly believe the best version of me is still to be seen, and I look forward to showing it on the night. I can’t afford to not leave everything in there on May 1."

"This is one of the strongest shows we’ve promoted and there is still even more to come," said promoter Eddie Hearn. "Chisora vs. Parker is a brilliant style match up that has been brewing for years and Taylor vs. Jonas is one of the biggest fights in women’s boxing. The Eubanks are always box office and it’s a massive chance for Marcus Morrison after his brilliant win in Italy. Craig Richards goes for World Title glory against the brilliant Russian Dmitry Bivol and there are further announcements to follow. Buckle up and enjoy this one!"

“WAR Chisora realizes this is a massive opportunity to gate-crash the Heavyweight division,” said David Haye of Hayemaker Promotions. “He has come close, in his last battle against unified Cruiserweight World Champion and No.1 ranked Heavyweight Usyk, two of the judges’ score cards had it 7 rounds to 5 - winning just one more round would have captured a draw and Derek would have retained his WBO International Title that night. Since, he has been working, living the life of a professional. Derek doesn’t simply want to beat Joseph Parker, he wants to make a statement to the world. This is his time.”

“There’s definitely unfinished business between Parker and Chisora,” said David Higgins, Founder and Director of DUCO Events. “I think the fight will be a real fan pleaser. It could be the Heavyweight Fight of the Year. You’ve got Chisora who likes to stand and trade and come forward, and then you’ve got Parker who has the speed and the pedigree. This fight has got a bit of history and it has been building for a while. It’s fantastic that it’s finally happening. This is a proper 50-50 matchup where the winner could go on to a World Title shot and the loser will go to the scrapheap. Credit to both Parker and Chisora for putting it all on the line.”

——————
Dmitry Bivol set to defend his WBA light-heavyweight title against Craig Richards in April

Craig Richards: "You don't get much bigger than Dmitry Bivol at my weight." The British light-heavyweight champion has revealed that he is set to receive a fight against Russia's WBA champion in Britain.

Craig Richards says he can "break down" Dmitry Bivol after confirming that talks are "moving in the right direction" for a WBA light-heavyweight title fight in Britain.

The south Londoner has been selected as a potential challenger for Bivol, who is set to end a lengthy absence from the ring with a WBA title defence in April.

'Spider' Richards, ranked at No 8 by the WBA, welcomed the opportunity to test himself at the highest level after his explosive knockout win over Shakan Pitters in December.

"There's been negotiations for this fight for the last few weeks, back and forth", Richards told Sky Sports.

"It seems like it's moving in the right direction.

"That's the fight I wanted. Exactly the time I wanted it."

Asked about a possible date and venue, he said: "I know it will be April, and I think it will be over here, as far as I've heard."

Bivol has earned a reputation as one of the world's finest fighters at 175lbs, having racked up a 17-fight unbeaten record, but he has been inactive since October 2019.

"You don't get much bigger than Dmitry Bivol at my weight," said Richards. "I think he's a good boxer. He's got a lot of things he does well. He's very seasoned. I can see there's flaws in him as well.

"This is the sort of fight where I will of course go through all my gears and show what I'm really about. I feel like stylistically, he'll bring the best out of me.

"It will be tougher than the domestic fighters I've been knocking out, but I believe I've got enough IQ, enough skill and enough punch power to gain his respect and break him down over the duration.

"He's a man, he's a human being, two arms, two legs, just like myself. I hit very hard, I've got a good boxing brain and I've got a good chin myself, and I believe I've got the tools to win."

[margaret thatcher]

bivol has wins pretty solid wins over smith, pascal, barrera

but his career has been going nowhere for a while now

i think he has the potential to beat everyone else at 175 but he's wasting it

[Ruthless-RKO]

bivol has wins pretty solid wins over smith, pascal, barrera

but his career has been going nowhere for a while now

i think he has the potential to beat everyone else at 175 but he's wasting it

Remember the Matchroom show in Monaco, he KO'd Trent Broadhurst was it in 1 round. It;s the first fight I watched of his, cus Sky showed it. He wasn't contracted to Matchroom at the time either, but the Sky hype machine bigged him up big time! After that, I said I'd watch more of his fights live, thinking he was a KO machine..

Turns out, he's just a very good boxer that's happy to go away with 120-108 decision wins.

He next fight he stopped Barrera in the final round, was a lopsided.

and ever since, he just wins UD's

Isaac Chilemba - 120-108 | 116-112 | 120-108
Jean Pascal - 119-109 | 117-111 | 119-109
Joe Smith Jr - 119-109 | 119-109 | 118-110
Lenin Castillo - 119-108 | 119-108 | 120-107

Don't even think he has knocked anyone down either..

[margaret thatcher]

he dropped castillo but he is content to just win on points. can be quite boring but i do rate him, very nice timing and movement and does have right hand power when he commits to it

[Ruthless-RKO]

he dropped castillo but he is content to just win on points. can be quite boring but i do rate him, very nice timing and movement and does have right hand power when he commits to it

Another Andrade then..

After he beat Broadhurst, he was 12-0 10 KOs..

Since then, fair enough level of competition has imroved, he's now 17-0, 11 KOs

He needs another gear as well. Nothing wrong with just winning on points, but there's some boxers you watch and you just feel, they could have stopped a few more opponents

[lazboy]

I don’t think he should be compared to Andrade - that’s disrespectful. I’ve enjoyed his silky smooth boxing skills but also see him as a limited fighter. He has elite outside game I.e an elite fencer. But lacks inside game.

[KiwiRider]

he dropped castillo but he is content to just win on points. can be quite boring but i do rate him, very nice timing and movement and does have right hand power when he commits to it

He can take a shot as well. Not that anyone so far has managed to land much flush with repetition.