Why are Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev ducking each other?

This fight needs to happen if Beterbiev gets by Smith Jr. No excuses.

 

So Bivol turned pro in 2014 and has been WBA champion since 2017.Beterbiev turned pro in 2013 and has been IBF champion since 2017 and then added the WBC belt to his collection in 2019 after his victory over Gyvozdyk and now fights Joe Smith in 2022 for his WBO belt. Shouldn’t the question be when will Bivol fight a unification fight with another champion from his own division ?

 

Because they probably wanted to whoop on your boy ginger bollocks first .. & why should things happen on your timeframe? Beterviev is unifying with Smith and it's likely the winner of that will fight Bivol.. cope

 

Both are bitches staying away from each other. Not a peep about it most of the time though.

 

I think its probably because their brands don't have that much recognition. Gonna be hard to get the mega payday they deserve. Bivol beating Canelo helped though and in my opinion makes the fight more likely.

 

Exactly. Not enough hype for it yet.

 

The Canelo Bivol rematch is probably not happening until next September 2023. If Canelo beats GGG, then he would be looking at a 168-lb defense vs John Ryder in December (possibly) and a mandatory WBO defense vs Zach Parker next May. If Bivol really has a desire to fight Beterbiev and unify, as he says he does, then the fight should be made soon after Beterbiev fights Smith, if Artur is victorious.

Bivol made it clear after he beat Canelo that fighting Beterbiev is more important than a Canelo rematch. If that's the case, then why would he wait for a Canelo rematch before making that fight? It makes sense for him to Unify with Beterbiev first, become Undisputed, and then down the road make the Canelo rematch. Canelo has business to take care of at 168. The only way I can see the Bivol Canelo rematch happening first is if GGG beats Canelo and Canelo is left with no belts. Or if Bivol decides to move down to 168 to challenge Canelo for Undisputed at 168. For the rematch to happen at 175, then Bivol really needs to become Undisputed to make that fight more enticing for Canelo, enough to risk another loss at that weight to fight him. Ideally, Bivol vs the winner of Beterbiev / Smith should already be signed for later this year by the time Canelo GGG happens. Though I doubt it will be. Something tells me Bivol is going to wait for Canelo GGG to see what happens there first.

 

Apparently Artur is fighting against Smith as a Canadian due to the Russia problem. The biggest problem with an Undisputed fight between Bivol and Beterbiev is that Russia is so toxic at this point, it's a hard sell to promote a Undisputed fight between two Russians. It's unclear if the Russia problem will ever go away, and how long it will take until Russian fighters are embraced by the governing bodies once again.

If Artur identifies as Canadian, and if Bivol doesn't identify as from any country, as he did against Canelo, then the fight could be made, but the Russia problem is certainly a hurdle to making the fight. Especially because the WBA seemed to be more willing to let Russian fighters fight (even with no National Anthem or flag) vs other commissions who apparently are more strict about not letting Russians fight let alone Unify and fight for Undisputed. How long do you think this Russian war stuff will go on for? It's the perfect excuse to not make the fight.

 

Promoters

Who else can delay or hold up fights?

Canelo had 4 fights during a global pandemic - Smith, Yildrim, Saunders, Plant - and packed out arenas. So no one can tell me it is impossible.

If the political and financial will exists from promoters then things can get done - come hell or high water.

 

The Canelo rematch will always exist because Canelo will want revenge.

The 175lbs unification is more important for Bivol's legacy.

If he beats Canelo again he goes down as a HOFer and a wealthy one anyway. It's a good scenario to be in.

 

Agreed, even if Bivol challenges Beterbiev and loses, the Canelo fight would still be there because like you said Canelo will still want revenge. If Bivol loses, and if Canelo beats GGG, then Bivol can still come down to 168 and challenge Canelo. So there's really no reason for Bivol not to go to straight into the Beterbiev fight if that fight can be made. If he wins, it makes the Canelo rematch even bigger, if he loses, the Canelo peydey is still there for him.