WBA Light-Heavyweight champion targeting unification fights in 2020 – Dmitry Bivol will set his sights on his fellow champions at Light Heavyweight – providing he can successfully defend his WBA Super World title against Lenin Castillo at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Saturday night, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.
Bivol (16-0 11 KOs) defends his title for the sixth time and has been elevated to ‘Super’ champion in the build-up to the clash with Castillo (20-1 15 KOs), the Dominican banger who fights for his first World title with an ominous 15 KOs from 20 wins.
The Russian star is the first of the champions in the star-studded Light-Heavyweight division to defend their crown in a busy month at 175lbs, with WBC and IBF kings Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Artur Beterbiev meeting in a unification battle in Philadelphia next weekend before WBO ruler Sergey Kovalev faces Mexican pound-for-pound star Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas on November 2, live on DAZN.
Bivol is aiming to do his part this weekend before travelling to both fights to keep a keen eye on his rivals, and hopes that the next month can create a path to an undisputed champion at Light-Heavyweight.
“I want to make my mark in boxing history and to do this you have to fight the best,” said Bivol. “I am grateful that my team have found for me good boxers to fight, of course I want to fight against the other champions but sometimes you cannot do it because they are busy, but we have had good fights and I am happy with that. The fight next weekend is a great one and I would love to face the winner between Gvozdyk and Beterbiev, we will know more about my future after that fight. I don’t know who wins that fight, I don’t like to make predictions! But it’s a very good fight and I’m looking forward to it.
“Of course, the Kovalev fight could happen because we are in the same division. I don’t know what is going to happen in his fight with Canelo, but I am ready to fight anyone at Light-Heavyweight. It’s an interesting fight, it’s a big challenge for both; Kovalev is one of the best at 175lbs and is the bigger man, but Canelo is a great fighter, he’s younger and he’s strong too, nobody knows what will happen, we just have to wait and watch.
“Canelo? Of course! It’s a good fight for me. I’m taller than him, I have good boxing skills and enough experience to box a guy like him. He’s one of the best guys from Middleweight, he’s not a Heavyweight, if he was it would be difficult to talk about but he’s coming from two divisions below so why not? I can also make 168lbs. I have talked about this many times because I am not a big guy so I could make Super-Middleweight for a big fight.”
Bivol’s clash with Castillo is part of a huge night of action in Chicago topped by the Heavyweight debut of pound for pound star Oleksandr Usyk against unbeaten contender Tyrone Spong and there’s more World title action on the card as Chicago’s Jessica McCaskill defends her WBA and WBC World Super-Lightweight titles against old foe Erica Farias.
Unbeaten Super-Middleweight talent Anthony Sims Jr returns to action against Morgan Fitch, Charles Conwell defends his USBA Super-Welterweight title against Patrick Day, an all-Chicago Super-Featherweight clash between Josh Hernandez and Giovanni Mioletti, former World title challenger TJ Doheny returns to the ring, Reshat Mati is back after recovering from a shoulder injury and a fourth pro outing for rising starlet Otha Jones III.
Tickets are on sale now for Usyk vs. Witherspoon starting at just $40
Dmitry Bivol Hosts Public Workout In Downtown Chicago
WBA Light-Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol, (16-0, 11 KOs), hosted a Public Workout in front of a huge crowd yesterday in Chicago’s Pioneer Court just days ahead of his 12-round title defense against Dominican Lenin Castillo, (20-2-1, 15 KOs), this Saturday night, October 12. Bivol vs. Castillo is one of the featured bouts on Matchroom Boxing’s return to Chicago’s Wintrust Arena and will be telecast live on DAZN.
Displaying the world class skills that have earned him the reputation of the best fighter in the stacked division, the 28-year-old Bivol worked out in the shadow of Chicago’s iconic Wrigley Building under the watchful eye of his longtime trainer Gennady Mashianov.
“It’s great to be here and workout for the fans in this beautiful city,” said Bivol. “I’ve been here for three days and love everything about Chicago. I’m really looking forward to Saturday night and putting on a show for all of the boxing fans here.”
Said Vadim Kornilov, “We’re very grateful for the response from the people of Chicago since we arrived and particularly yesterday at the public workout. Dmitry is in outstanding shape and ready to defend his title in spectacular fashion on Saturday night.”
On Thursday afternoon, Bivol and Castillo will come face-to-face for the first time at the Final Press Conference in Downtown Chicago.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION DMITRY BIVOL HITS CHICAGO FOR SATURDAY TITLE FIGHT
Chicago, IL (October 8, 2019) WBA Light-Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol, (16-0, 11 KOs), has arrived in Chicago from his training camp in Los Angeles ahead of his 12-round title defense against Dominican Lenin Castillo, (20-2-1, 15 KOs), this Saturday night, October 12. Bivol vs. Castillo is one of the featured bouts on Matchroom Boxing’s return to Chicago’s Wintrust Arena and will be telecast live on DAZN.
“I’m very excited to be in Chicago, this is my first time here and I like it here very much,” said the 28-year-old, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia. “Big beautiful buildings, very nice people and it’s a very clean city. I’m glad that I’m fighting here on Saturday night. I’m very happy that there are a lot of Kyrgyzstan, Russian and Ukrainian fans in addition to so many local fans coming to the fight.”
“I know for Castillo this a big opportunity but we’ve prepared very well in Los Angeles and I look forward to putting on a great performance for those in attendance and watching on DAZN. Since I became a world champion over two years ago I’ve wanted the toughest challenges and the biggest fights, either world title unification fights or any of the top names.”
Said Vadim Kornilov, “We’re very excited to be here in Chicago, it’s a fantastic place for Dmitry to fight. He is fully focused on Lenin Castillo and after that we will continue to pursue the biggest fights and the top names for him.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Bivol will participate in a Public Workout at 4:30 p.m. CT at Pioneer Court, 401 N. Michigan Ave. (between Michigan Ave. and Cityfront Plaza Dr.) in Downtown Chicago.