“I don’t see anything supernatural in him”: Bivol about negotiations with Alvarez, meeting with Beterbiev and fight with Salamov

- How satisfied are you with your performance in the duel with Umar Salamov?

- There are enough points to work on.

I don’t feel like I spoke 100 percent.

I have potential for growth.

Nevertheless, I am satisfied.

- How did your coach Gennady Yuryevich Mashyanov describe your actions in the ring?

- We have not had time to communicate yet.

Emotions went to the hotel, packed up and flew away.

Everything happened at night, and there was no time to discuss the fight.

I think we'll meet one of these days and talk.

On the whole, Gennady Yuryevich is satisfied, he thinks that I did a lot.

The only thing he said was that I was enslaved at the beginning of the battle.

He wanted me to be more relaxed.

- You have healed all the abrasions on your face.

Since there are no injuries, could you enter the ring in a month?

- No, I'm not ready.

Even from a moral point of view.

Three months is the minimum break between fights.

- Why did you let Salamov go a little after the high-quality sixth and seventh rounds?

- Probably because I have been boxing a little lately.

I thought it would be possible to save energy, and Umar would have accumulated fatigue by the 11th round.

At this moment, you can turn on even more brightly, but the opponent found reserves in himself and showed character.

He fought with dignity until the last round.

- What emotions did you experience by signing an agreement with

- Of course, it made me happy.

I would not have signed a contract if it did not suit me.

For me, this is a guarantee of two fights next year.

At the same time, RCC is a flexible company.

They understand that if I receive more interesting proposals from abroad, we will consider them together.

- Question from Adam Dines: “The fight with Bivol is my dream.

Dmitry, will you agree to a duel with me after I have won a couple of victories? "

- Fighting for the title is a dream of many boxers.

Every champion is a target for the rest.

Of course, I will agree to a duel with Adam, if the audience shows interest in him.

Or if Dines comes close to being a challenger.

I am open to suggestions.

If he had defeated Joe Smith before that, it would have been the best option for Adam.

- You at one time easily defeated Smith.

Is he a legitimate champion for you?

- Why not?

He has a belt, although the victory over Maxim Vlasov turned out to be very controversial.

But Joe beat good boxers before and after meeting me.

He turned out to be stronger than Jesse Hart and Eleider Alvarez and is a worthy champion.

- It will be difficult for him to interest you in a rematch, given how easy the confrontation was in 2019?

- If you defeat someone easily, they immediately begin to call your opponent a “bag”.

But there are high-level professionals.

For example, I will call a foreman at home who can easily fix a tap.

Literally at the snap of your fingers.

You think, "It's that simple."

But is it really so?

The person worked hard to easily and quickly solve a similar problem.

This does not mean that she did not exist at all.

There were serious difficulties, but the master was also of a high level.

It's the same with my fights.

We had a good and beautiful fight with Smith.

He might sound one-sided, but the American is an elite boxer.

- Would you be interested in meeting with Alexander Gvozdik?

- Fights that propel me forward turn me on.

To be honest, I didn't really want to box with Salamov either.

I also want to get something, and not just become a stepping stone for another person to return to the ring or win the belt.

I also want to get my chance, the opportunity to win a new title.

In the absence of her, I agree to such fights as with Salamov.

The cards will fold, why not?

- With whom ideally do you want to meet in the next two fights in Russia?

- With other champions.

Let's see what proposals are received.

I myself did not expect such rivals that I got in the last five meetings: Lenin Castillo, Craig Richards, Salamov.

Suddenly, the option to conduct a battle turned up, and it's good that it is so.

With the RCC there were no talks and guarantees for the fights.

- One of your promoters Eddie Hearn said that you need to prepare for the confrontation with Saul Alvarez in May.

How likely is this meeting?

- It is unlikely that it will take place.

Alvarez has plans to fight Ilunga Makabu.

I am calm about such statements.

Hearn, of course, would like me to box with Canelo.

Then the duel will be shown on DAZN with the participation of Eddie.

It is beneficial to him.

- One of my colleagues believes that you are capable of winning a dominant victory over Alvarez.

I do not rule out success in the decision of the judges, but I do not share such optimism.

How realistic is it now to defeat Saul?

- It's possible.

He is the same person: two arms, two legs, one head.

He also misses punches.

I don't see anything supernatural in him.

This is a top boxer, but he has his mistakes.

There were battles in which Alvarez lost.

You can remember the meetings with Floyd Mayweather, Erislandi Lara and Gennady Golovkin.

These are all controversial decisions.

I would not say that Canelo "killed" Danny Jacobs or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Everything is possible.

- Is Makabu too big a boxer for Saul?

- I do not know what is in the head of his team.

Perhaps they saw something.

Speed ​​is an important quality in achieving victory.

In this, Alvarez can surpass Macaba.

Ilunga is no longer young, and I can’t say that he is very large.

Let's say that the representatives of the Mexican would hardly have aimed at Mairis Briedis, but with Macabu - a real story.

- How did you negotiate with Canelo's team for the past September?

Did the Mexican use you to make Caleb Plant more accommodating?

- We understood that we could be used, but, nevertheless, negotiations were going on, and the battle was close.

We discussed weight categories.

Since there was little time left, they were ready to lose two kilograms of weight.

Basically, there was an expectation of an answer from Alvarez's team, whether he was ready to box or not.

I accept his decision.

From a career point of view, I would have done the same if I were Saul.

Why climb somewhere if you have three belts in your hands, and you are one step away from winning the fourth?

It is logical that you need to box for the title of absolute world champion.

- What influence does Boxing World have on your career?

- She financially participates in the preparation and solves many legal issues.

The contract with the RCC was checked at the Boxing World.

- That is, the company is no longer a promoter, but a managerial one?

- Maybe yes.

The World of Boxing plans no longer hold its own shows, but they support boxers, negotiate with rivals, pay royalties when athletes perform in other companies.

The "World of Boxing" is doing a lot of work that is hidden behind a screen.

- Can you explain why the fight with Craig Richards, in fact, turned out to be the hardest in your career?

- I can't call it heavy.

Most inconvenient rather.

I had a long downtime, and I could not feel the distance, get close to the opponent.

Mostly because of the pause.

There is a feeling that now I am in better condition than in May, when the fight took place.

- During the announcement of the winner, were you sure that they would raise your hand?

- Yes.

During the fight, I realized that I was leading on the judges' notes.

At the same time, I also felt my opponent, although not as confidently as usual.

However, he knew that he still won the meeting.

- Can you tell us about the staged video before the fight with Richards, when you congratulated the Briton on his 31st birthday?

- We lived in the same hotel, did not go anywhere and saw him every day.

At that moment, as usual, we were sitting at neighboring tables.

They told me it was Craig's birthday.

I replied that I would give him a cake as a joke.

"Wait, we'll record a video of you presenting it."

Richards knew nothing, and I played my part.

Is this a production?

- The topic of your meeting with Artur Beterbiev is constantly being raised.

What does your manager Vadim Kornilov think about this?

- Our team for any fights.

And especially the title ones, it doesn't matter, with Beterbiev or Smith.

Of course, such fights are needed.

But so far there is no understanding who could organize them.

Arthur has a contract with Top Rank.

Vadim is always in touch with them.

There were no specific negotiations, but we asked: "Are you interested in this fight, are you ready to do it?"

Top Rank replied that there is no such possibility yet.

I understood this in such a way that our meeting could not provide the necessary income.

- Does the

- I think yes.

They can do this fight.

- How will Arthur's meeting with Marcus Brown go?

- Beterbiev should win, although the American is not an easy fighter.

Much will depend on Arthur's shape.

However, he is in the lead in this confrontation.

- Are you interested in taking part in a duel according to the rules of MMA or fighting against some famous blogger like Alexander Emelianenko?

- Something you are completely ugly about Alexander.

Blogger ... He's a fighter.

But you might as well suggest that I run a marathon.

I'm not a marathon runner or an MMA fighter, I'm a boxer.

This is not my sport.

Fights with bloggers?

I have no such goal.

I am going on a more athletic road, and not the one that is associated with the show.

- What are the five best boxers of the year?

- George Kamposos.

I was surprised, I was impressed by his attitude and dedication in the duel with Teofimo Lopez.

Of course, Alexander Usik, who rose to heavy weight.

Saul Alvarez and Josh Taylor, who have won four titles in their divisions.

I also liked how Oscar Valdes knocked out Miguel Berchelt.