For plenty of fight fans, along with a good many boxing experts, Dmitry Bivol is the best light heavyweight on the planet right now. For others, Bivol needs to win his rivalry with Artur Beterbiev – the two currently all-even at 1-1 – to prove it. For his part, Bivol, who is recovering from back surgery but is already eyeing his 2026 comeback, is only interested in big fights, in meaningful fights.
Eddie Hearn, promoter as well as friend and fan of Bivol, spoke with Ring Magazine, and the Matchroom boss said Bivol is looking at “big fights, big money, and true tests” for his return to the ring, this likely for the first quarter of the new year.
Bivol’s Return Plans: Benavidez, Beterbiev, or Canelo?
For plenty of us, the fight at the top of the list as far as 34 year old Bivol is concerned, is the rubber-match with Beterbiev. But Bivol is looking at some other big and intriguing fights that he could take when he comes back after having last seen action in February of this year, when he avenged his October 2024 decision loss to Beterbiev.
“I met with Dmitry and had dinner with him recently,” Hearn told The Ring. “The big thing and the key thing with him is that he just wants big fights, big money, and true tests. David Benavidez and Artur Beterbiev are true tests, but they are very dangerous fights. He’s a chill guy, but he’s not interested in a random fight. He wants Canelo Alvarez, Benavidez, Beterbiev, maybe Jai Opetaia. He just wants challenges. I’m sure we’ll have him back in a big fight soon.”
The Legacy Question: What Does Bivol Still Need to Prove?
It will be interesting to see if Bivol opts to take a tune-up fight upon his return, this despite Hearn’s talk of Bivol only wanting the big fights. Of the names Hearn listed, though, we would welcome all of them. Bivol-Beterbiev III is top of many a list, but Bivol-Benavidez would be pretty awesome, as would Bivol Vs. Opetaia, this up at cruiserweight. As for Bivol-Canelo II, well, does Canelo want that kind of smoke again?
Bivol, 24-1(12) needs to finish his series with Beterbiev, this for his legacy as well as for his bank balance. Then, if he can close that show at 2-1 in his favour, Bivol could further prove his greatness, or at least try and do so, by tackling Benavidez, Opetaia, and maybe, but perhaps most doubtfully in terms of the rematch happening, Canelo.
Is Dmitry Bivol the best 175 pounder out there today, or does he have more stuff to do in order to claim the distinction?