World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman has put all the rumours of a potential Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed light heavyweight title fight to rest in a recent interview. While having a conversation with Izquierdazo, Sulaiman said that they will not allow Bivol to fight Artur.
“The WBC can not sanction a fight with Bivol in it. That is because of our position with Russia [and the war with Ukraine]. WBC would not accept that fight.”
The World Boxing Council President also stated in case if the two camps agree to a fight then the WBC title will not be on the line. “As of today, that is the position of the WBC [about that fight]. As long as there is no boxing in Ukraine, we will not accept boxing in Russia. At least, not sanctioned by the WBC.”
“At this moment, [our ruling is] that Beterbiev has to fight with his WBC mandatory rival, Callum Smith.” It is needless to say that many boxing enthusiasts around the world will be very unhappy with this decision as there was a huge possibility that these two top boxers would collide with each other.
Despite the fact that both the champions are from Russia, the WBC have no problems with Artur Beterbiev because he has lived in Canada for several years. Meanwhile, Bivol is still Russian and the council have a strong stance against the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Who will WBA champion Dmitry Bivol fight next?
Dmitry Bivol has a number of options to choose from for his next fight. However, he could wait for Canelo Alvarez to win his next fight as there is a huge possibility for a rematch. The second fight will help him gain a tremendous amount of recognition in the boxing world and another win over one of the greatest boxers would help him solidify his place as an elite champion.
Do let us know in the comments section who you think should fight against Dmitry Bivol next.
