WBA Russian Light Heavyweight Champion (Super) Dmitry Bivol at the beginning of May, he beat the best boxer on the planet at that time Saul Alvarez . We are still talking about this triumph, and the confrontation will certainly continue. More importantly, the contract included an immediate revenge clause should the Russian win. And the Mexican himself in each interview declares his desire to see Bivol again.
However, Canelo decided to follow the original storyline and, after May’s fight with Bivol, end the trilogy with Gennady Golovkin . At the same time, defeating Dmitry, of course, was not part of the Mexican’s plans. And now more and more people in the martial arts world are expressing the opinion that Canelo should no longer try his luck in confrontations with Bivol.
This is exactly the advice given to Saul Alvarez by one of the coaches of the Russian team, a former IBF super flyweight champion. Dmitry Kirillov. Moreover, the specialist believes in the chances of Golovkin, 40, in the third fight with Alvarez.
He also shares his unpopular opinion regarding the winner of the light heavyweight unification bout between Russian Artur Beterbiev (WBC, IBF) and American Joe Smith Jr. (WBO).
– You took part in the first stage of Bivol’s preparation for the duel with Saul Alvarez in Uzbekistan.
– Yes, but did not fly with him to the United States. As for the fight itself… I felt joy, but also sorrow. Joy – Dima won. It was a global event. Dima defeated a boxer of this level without too many losses – with confidence and beauty he beat him on technique. And he was upset because he had no time to put money on Dima. The coefficient was good, and I was sure in advance that he would win. I watched the fight in Karelia, over the phone. Dima started to feel after the fourth round that Alvarez’s power wasn’t that dangerous for him.
I know when Dmitry can roll with the punches by replacing his hands. In a fight with the same Sullivan Barrera, Dima moved and maneuvered more to avoid hitting the defense. And with Canelo, Dima took hits on defense, and there was no threat.
– But Bivol himself after the fight showed the consequences of Alvarez’s blows to the left hand.
– In battle, you can’t beat this hand so much that it won’t work.
– At the end of 2020, Alvarez managed to beat the left hand of the noticeably taller Callum Smith. Subsequently, the Briton had to undergo triceps surgery.
– The fight takes place in such euphoria that you can go through any pain. Especially at this level. Moreover, Alvarez, hitting those punches, also wasted his strength to hit that shoulder hard.
Let’s look to the future. Were you surprised that Alvarez chose Kazakh Gennady Golovkin as his next opponent? Their third fight will take place on September 17.
– It’s logic. They will earn more. Given Golovkin’s age (40), it will be easier with him. With Bivol, Alvarez can’t do anything. Whatever he does, Dmitry will take him back to class. If this revenge takes place.
(The first fight between Golovkin and Alvarez in 2017 ended in a controversial draw, and the second in 2018 also ended in a controversial victory for the Mexican – ).
– A lot of people are expressing the idea that there is no point in a rematch for Alvarez, despite having been written into the contract.
– Absolutely. Dmitry is ready to come down to him in weight and challenge his titles. He is confident in his abilities and is ready to lose weight.
– Another popular belief is that Alvarez will beat Golovkin easily.
– Well, not easy. Yes, Golovkin is old, but I wouldn’t dismiss Gennady. He’s a seasoned fighter and he can give Alvarez a tough life in the ring.
– As a representative of the Bivol team, do you advise Alvarez to resume the match with the Russian, from a sporting point of view?
Lose again? I would not advise him to pursue a rematch. But from the point of view of entertainment, that Dima once again proves it to everyone… That would be interesting.
– Here we must pay tribute to Alvarez, who adequately accepted defeat and now declares in every interview his desire to see Bivol again.
– Alvarez is an experienced athlete with a long career, including fights with top boxers. He has a strong team, he cannot behave differently. He can’t take and panic, leaving everything. He will continue to try to prove that he deserved and deserves to be considered the best in the world.
– Do you think revenge will take place?
– I do not think so. But I would like the revenge to take place. It all depends on negotiations between all parties.
Who would you like to see Bivol fight against?
– It makes sense to combine belts. And there, we have to wait for the result of the fight between Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith (the fight will take place on June 18 in New York – ).
‘But Beterbiev and Smith are representatives of another promotion company.
– In the history of boxing, there have been cases when different promotion companies put on a show for the public good, financial prosperity. I hope there will now be an opportunity to agree. All belts will be up for grabs – it will be very cool.
– How do you assess the chances in the duel between Beterbiev and Smith?
“I would choose Smith. I will support Beterbiev, but it seems to me that after the loss to Dmitry Bivol (in March 2019), Smith has improved a lot. A year or two ago, I would have said Beterbiev would definitely win. But seeing how Smith is progressing and getting past his opponents now, it looks like he could win.
– Promoter Eddie Hearn, who arranged the meeting between Bivol and Alvarez, now names Britons Callum Smith and Joshua Buatsi as Dmitry’s next possible rivals. Hearn’s interest is understandable – the titled boxer fights the British. But doesn’t that sound like Bivol mining?
– I wouldn’t look from that point of view. The Bivol team will decide on each opponent. You have to look at the note, the status of the mandatory candidate. To oblige – hardly. Dima has the right to choose his own opponents. And if there are fights with Callum Smith or Buatsi, then Dima will also benefit. He certainly won’t box to his detriment.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
