He might be bruised, battered, and wounded but Dmitry Bivol is incredibly happy.
His buoyancy and torn-down body stem from back-to-back wars against Artur Beterbiev. Although things didn’t go his way during their first showdown, Bivol bounced back nicely, dethroning his fellow Russian to become the light heavyweight division's undisputed champion.
Next up for Bivol is a long and needed rest but once he’s all healed up, all options are on the table. There are a few obvious choices. A trilogy with Beterbiev is leading the pack but Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez have a pathway to Bivol as well.
Bivol isn’t picky but he also isn’t incredibly vocal. With that said, he recently picked up a microphone and let his feelings known that he could ditch 175 pounds entirely.
“Maybe we can talk about cruiserweight,” said Bivol to a group of reporters. “I will think about it also. I have belts here. I need to check cruiserweight.”
Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) making mention of a cruiserweight run was probably music to Eddie Hearn’s ears. He currently promotes Jai Opetai, The Ring and IBF champion. When last seen, the Australian was busy making it look easy against David Nyika, violently stopping in the fourth round back in January.
Making a showdown between them, theoretically, would be easy to do but for now, Bivol will continue to weigh his options. Ultimately, if he wants to remain an undisputed champion, he might be forced to face Benavidez. With the WBC recently stating that the 28-year-old is next in line, Bivol’s hands might be tied.
Nevertheless, whether he’s pushed into a fight with Benavidez and Beterbiev or has the gumption to move up in weight, Bivol won’t complain. He’ll simply prepare to the best of his abilities and go from there.
“I don’t have any preference, to be honest,” continued Bivol. “What people want to see, I’ll take it. No problem.”