WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol (12-0, 10 KOs) met with news media at the Legendz Gym, owned and run by Roger Ruiz yesterday to discuss his upcoming mandatory title defense against #1 ranked challenger Sullivan Barrera (21-1-0, 14 KOs).
Dmitry Bivol
Kovalev – Mikhalkin & Bivol – Barrera on March 3
Certain nations have always been known for producing boxing talent: Mexico, Great Britain, the Philippines, Japan and, of course, the United States.
And now Russia stands on the brink of joining this elite company. The latest Russian import from Irkutsk in eastern Siberia, light heavyweight Igor Mikhalkin (21-1, 9 KOs), faces the greatest challenge of his career as he makes his United States debut.
Kovalev vs. Mikhalkin and Bivol vs Barrera quotes for 3/3 on HBO
Kathy Duva: Welcome everyone to the Sergey Kovalev vs. Igor Mikhalkin and Dmitry Bivol vs. Sullivan Barrera international media conference call. This is Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events. I just want to, on a personal note, tell everybody it’s great to have you back after these few months. This is a long cold winter. Happy to be able to get back into action.
Carl Froch hot on Dmitry Bivol, admits he wouldn’t have liked to have stood in front of him
The pundits over at Sky Sports have been listing their ‘One To Watch for 2018,’ with the likes of Johnny Nelson, Tony Bellew, Paulie Malignaggi and Carl Froch picking their hot prospects for the coming year. What Froch had to say was most interesting. “The Cobra,” happy and content in looking back on a career that saw him define himself as one of the toughest, most durable of warriors, one who consistently fought the very best, is hugely excited about Russian light-heavyweight Dmitry Bivol.
Errol Spence vs. Lamont Peterson preview
In a bout involving inactive fighters, IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. (22-0, 19 KOs) defends his belt this month against former 140lb champion Lamont Peterson (35-3-1, 17 KOs) on January 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. This is a Showtime televised match-up.
Sergey Kovalev wants his belts back; looking ahead to big fights against the likes of Bivol, Beterbiev
Now that Andre Ward, the only man to have beaten him at pro level, is out of the way, Russia’s Sergey Kovalev is on a mission to get all his belts back – “Krusher” of course losing his WBA/WBO/IBF light-heavyweight titles to the now-retired Ward last year.(Photo credit Craig Bennett/Main Event)
Kovalev, who says he has very much cleaned up his act (no more beer, two a day being his intake according to a recent interview Kovalev gave with fighthype) as well as getting himself a new trainer, faces Vyacheslav Shabranskyy for the vacant WBO belt he lost to Ward. This fight goes down next Saturday (November 25) and Kovalev is favorite to win – but it will prove much tougher getting the three other recognized belts around his waist.