WBA light heavyweight champion Dimitry Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs) says he would like to come down to 168 to challenge WBA/WBC super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez, after he defends his title against Craig Richards (16-1, 9 KOs) this Saturday night at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
Canelo (55-1-2, 37 KOs) is already booked up full this year with fights planned against WBO 168-lb champion Billy Joe Saunders on May 8th, and then IBF champion Caleb Plant in September.
The Mexican star Canelo wants to fight four times in 2021, but he surely won’t want to fight a dangerous guy like Bivol with three months’ rest from the Plant fight. Even if Canelo had six months’ rest, Bivol would present huge problems for him.
Canelo had his chance to fight Bivol when he moved up to 175 in 2019 to go after his fourth-division world title, but he chose WBO champion Sergey Kovalev, who was a total shot fighter by that point.
You can argue that if Canelo fancied his chances of beating Bivol, he would have chosen him instead of Kovalev because he would have received more praise by beating him.
Bivol, 30, is fighting for the first time since his win over Lenin Castillo in October 2019. He’s taking Richards seriously despite his opponent not having faced any world-level opposition during his six-year pro career.
Bivol wants Canelo fight
“I don’t think about Canelo,” said Bivol. “He has his own way at super middleweight. I have my own way at light heavyweight. I think about another champion in the light heavyweight division, but I want to fight against guys with a big name.
Canelo has the main name in boxing. I would like to fight him, yes if h wants, but it’s not my goal to fight Canelo. It doesn’t matter which weight class. Super middleweight or light heavyweight because I can make super middleweight.
“Callum Smith can fight at light heavyweight because he’s tall, he has enough power and he was a champion at super middleweight,” said Bivol.
Unless Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn twists Canelo’s arm to get him to agree to take on Bivol, it’s likely he’ll be ignored by him or the remainder of his career.
If it was that easy to get a fight against Canelo by moving down to 168, fighters like David Benavidez would have gotten a fight with the Mexican star ages ago.
The fact of the matter is, Canelo is highly selective about the guys he faces, and he’s not likely to agree to a fight with Bivol if he moves down to 168.
Craig Richards has good speed
“He has good speed, he moves a lot, and he has a good boxing IQ,” said Bivol about his opponent Craig Richards on Saturday.
“When you have a good boxing IQ, you can create something in the middle of the fight.
That’s what I’m thinking. I need to show my skills to all of the world, and I need to get four belts. That’s one of my goals. I need to be an undisputed champion.
“Now I’m focused, and I only think about May 1st and only about this fight,” said Bivol about his defense against Richards.
“He’s not an easy fighter, yes. He doesn’t have good opposition like me, but he deserves to fight against me. He’s a champion of Britain, and I have to be focused,” said Bivol.
Richards has speed and movement, but he’s not beaten anyone good enough to suggest that he’ll be competitive against a talent like Bivol.
Frank Buglioni beat Richards in 2017 by a 12 round unanimous decision in 2017. In 2019, Richards fought to an eight-round draw against domestic fighter Chad Sugden (11-2-1, 4 KOs).
Judges don’t worry Bivol
“I feel pressure every time. I’m the champion and I have to win,” said Bivol when asked if he feels pressure ahead of his fight against Craig Richards on Saturday.
“I don’t worry about the judges. I just have to make my work, and if I do it, I win.
“I have to get more big fights to realize my potential,” Bivol said. “I have to fight against guys that will open my potential.
“If you have a lot of hard fights against big names, you’ll be remembered. This is one of my goals too, and it will help me realize my potential,” said Bivol.
With Bivol’s boxing skills, he doesn’t have to worry about the judges for this fight. It’s already a mismatch as it is because Richards is little more than a domestic-level fighter.
You’d have liked to have seen Richards fight at least one contender before getting a title shot. He’s getting the fight because of promoter Eddie Hearn, so it’s a good thing for him, but not necessarily for the fans.
It would be more interesting to see Bivol defend against one of these guys:
- Joshua Buatsi
- Gilberto Ramirez
- Lyndon Arthur
- Marcus Browne
- Anthony Yarde
- Badou Jack
- Callum Johnson