So Bivol vs Barrera likely OFF cause Bivol WONT accept VADA testing... SMH

Boxing is slated to occur March 3 at the Madison Square Garden Theater in Manhattan, topped by a main event pitting light heavyweight top dog Sergey Kovalev against relative unknown Igor Mihalkin. Many boxing fans seem to be more enthused with the main support bout on that Main Events promotion, which has 175-pound contender Sullivan Barrera challenging young gun Dmitry Bivol, the WBA titleholder who is enjoying the buzz of being Maybe The Next Big Thing.

But, we wonder, is this bout, which has the WBA’S No. 1-rated Barrera, a Cuban native, against Bivol, last seen dispatching challenger Trent Broadhurst with ferocious efficiency on HBO in November, in jeopardy?

I messaged Barrera on Thursday evening and he told me he is doing VADA testing, and paying for it out of his pocket. He said that Team Bivol has dragged their feet on the issue, that they have taken “three weeks to say if they agree to VADA testing.”

He said he’d like for testing to be quickly agreed upon, so he can concentrate solely on training.

I asked promoter Kathy Duva to ask if she had any light to shed on the subject. She told me that Vadim Kornilov, who manages Bivol, has been on vacation. Ok, I answered, that’s maybe why he hasn’t responded to my query to him about testing. She too was trying to be on vacation, she continued, “But as far as I have been told, this has already been agreed to by Bivol.”

Noted; so, sounds like maybe it could get ironed out pretty quick and all parties can get down to the business of training, to fight, and not aiming, pee in a cup.


DMITRY BIVOL HAS ‘NO PROBLEM’ WITH VADA TESTING, SAYS MANAGER

Sullivan Barrera has been feeling iffy about his forthcoming foe, Dmitry Bivol, counting down to their March 3 clash at the Madison Square Garden Theater in support of a Sergey Kovalev vs. Igor Mikhalkin main event on HBO.

Why is Team Bivol dragging their collective feet on VADA testing, Barrera has asked.

Vadim Kornilov manages Bivol. Many know him from his status in performing the same duties for Ruslan Provodnikov. He gave me an update on the testing for this light heavy defense for Bivol, who holds the WBA strap.

“No problem at all from our side! We were thinking of doing VADA testing initially, as I do with all my fighters like Ruslan, Viktor Postol, etc. Then the representatives of Barrera said that they are in the Clean Boxing Program with the WBC anyway, and they don’t want to pay anything extra for a specific VADA testing protocol. We are ready to do it and we have already sent in our VADA enrollment form for Bivol to VADA! We are actually thinking of doing year-round testing for Bivol and some of our other fighters to promote clean sport practices. I think Barrera and his team are trying to hype the fight, which is great. It will be one of the great fights in the division, one of the more meaningful fights this year!”