WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol will be in a high-pressure situation on November 5th when he defends against his mandatory challenger Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez in Abu Dhabi on DAZN.
Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) can’t afford to lose this fight because it would wipe out his chances of a well-paying rematch against Canelo Alvarez next May.
Instead of Bivol getting the Canelo fight, Ramirez (44-0, 30 KOs) could be the one that he faces. However, given Canelo’s history with Golden Boy Promotions, it’s not certain that Ramirez would get the chance to fight the Mexican superstar if he defeats Bivol.
But it would still be a strong possibility if Canelo wants to return to the 175-lb division to ease the pressure on him to fight David Benavidez at 168.
“We looked at making Bivol against Buatsi but couldn’t get that deal done,” said Eddie Hearn to the DAZN Boxing Show. “The WBA ordered the [Bivol] fight with [Gilberto] Ramirez. This is a great fight,” said Hearn.
Don’t be surprised if Hearn looks to make a fight between Bivol and Joshua Buatsi should the Russian fighter defeat Ramirez.
Hearn was foiled at his attempt to make the Bivol vs. Buatsi fight this time after the WBA ordered Dmitry to defend against Ramirez.
Still, Hearn likely won’t give up on the idea of making a fight between Bivol and Buatsi later this year.
“As well as Bivol did against Canelo Alvarez, this is a different type of challenge,” said Hearn about a fight between Bivol and Ramirez.
“I know he moved from super middleweight, but this is still a big light heavyweight in Ramirez. He’s a guy that is looking to become a star with a break-out victory, and it’s a really good fight,” continued Hearn.
Eddie is putting it lightly when he says the 31-year-old Ramirez is a big light heavyweight. For his last fight against Dominic Boesel, Ramirez rehydrated from 174 to 203 lbs. That’s almost 30 lbs, and that’s the kind of weight that cruiserweight fight at.
“For Bivol, it’s kind of like everything is on the line,” said Hearn. “If he wins, he’ll go into the Canelo Alvarez #2 fight, which he wants. Obviously, Canelo wants it as well, subject to beating GGG.
“So, it’s a really big fight for the division and a fantastic fight for DAZN as well. I can’t believe we got the deal done,” said Hearn.
