Although a light heavyweight showdown between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev is the clear and obvious fight to make in the division, the bout remains elusive. Even still, the fights themselves know what the fans want to see, and took a few moments to face off for cameras while in attendance for the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou fight over the weekend.
Beterbiev teased the media by saying ‘ask him’ (referring to Bivol) when asked about the roadblocks in making a fight, and Bivol later said it’s not the fighters who are holding up the bout from taking place.
“Of course it’s not because of fighters,” Bivol said. “It’s not because of me or him. The reason because of who will make this fight, Matchroom or Top Rank, DAZN, ESPN.”
Bivol last fought a year ago, beating Gilberto Ramirez by unanimous decision, while Beterbiev is supposed to take on Callum Smith in a rescheduled for January 2024.