Dmitry Bivol will make his long-awaited return to the ring in December.
That is according to Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn. The WBA light heavyweight champion has been out of action since his win over Zurdo Ramirez via a unanimous decision in November 2022. That was in the aftermath of Bivol’s comprehensive victory over Canelo Alvarez. However, since then, numerous issues have prevented Bivol from fighting. Hearn revealed that a hand injury had been plaguing the champion, something which Bivol has been quiet about. In addition, there were problems in trying to get an opponent.
Another fight with Canelo broke down after disagreements over the weight class. Meanwhile, a bout with Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed light heavyweight title failed after the WBC banned Russian fighters from competing for its belt due to the war with Ukraine.
But now Bivol is ready for a comeback. However, an opponent has not been named. Fights with Joshua Buatsi, Dan Azeez, or Anthony Yarde could occur since those fighters are ranked in the top three of the WBA rankings, respectively. However, the first two names have reportedly turned offers aside. But once Bivol does get past whoever his next opponent may be, Hearn has targeted the undisputed fight with Beterbiev.
“He’s been out with a hand injury for a while now, but he’s back training, and he’s ready to fight in December. We offered Dan Aziz the fight and obviously [Joshua] Buatsi before that, Lyndon Arthur as well. Not many are queuing up to fight Dmitry Bivol, I understand, but we expect to see him back in December, and we’re working on a show in November and a show in December that we’re looking to finalize at the moment. So, hopefully, we see him back soon.
“Looking forward to him getting out once in 2023 and then moving into the winner of Callum Smith against Beterbiev for the undisputed. That’s the fight, and we expect to see it happen,” Hearn