Over the past years, the unification fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev has remained one of the most anticipated in the world of boxing. At least on the territory of the CIS. The Russians have long been one of the main stars of their sport and have repeatedly stated their intention to meet each other in the ring to determine the name of the undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world. And it seemed that in 2023 it would finally happen. The first was at the peak of his career and popularity after victories over Saul Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez, as a result of which the team of the second ceased to openly call their potential fight unattractive. But these hopes were not destined to come true. Again.
Bivol himself announced another breakdown of the negotiations in an interview with the Big Fight Weekend portal. As the current WBA world champion admitted, he regularly turned to his managers with a request to arrange a fight with Beterbiev. And they responded to his request, starting to communicate with the rival party, but then announced the termination of contacts, noting that from a business point of view, "nothing interesting happens." Simply put, there was no good offer.
The statement of his client was supplemented by Bivol's manager Vadim Kornilov. According to him, there was talk about organizing a unification battle in June-July in the UAE or the United States, but it did not come to specifics for financial reasons. As the representative of the athlete noted, the amount of the fee clearly did not correspond to the status of the fighter.
It is possible that in the course of these discussions, the last chance to bring together two star boxers in the ring was missed. In January 2024, Beterbiev will be 39 years old, and at this age, many athletes begin to either inexorably lose shape or end their careers altogether. Yes, some manage to continue to demonstrate the highest level in their fifties, but it is difficult to say in advance whether Arthur will be able to repeat the achievements of such centenarians as Bernard Hopkins and George Forman.
And if Beterbiev's side previously did not allow his client to clash with Bivol and try to unite all four belts in the light heavyweight category, then why would she sanction this fight in the future? After all, every year the risk of defeat increases. Unlike Arthur, Dmitry is in the prime of his career and is able to stay at the peak for at least the next four to five years. And given his incomparable fighting intelligence, his age in the sport may well be extended.
At the same time, of particular interest is the reason for the breakdown of negotiations, according to which Bivol did not receive a decent offer for a fee. And this may well be explained by the lack of interest in this battle abroad. If in Russia their confrontation would definitely become one of the most anticipated and would certainly gather a huge audience, then abroad there might not have been such a stir. Although it seems strange. After defeating Canelo, Dmitry gained superstar status and many of the largest portals call him one of the best boxers on the planet. Isn't there a reason for spectators to fill the arena in Abu Dhabi or New York?
Perhaps this is partly due to the desire of the public and promoters to see their rematch with Alvarez, rumors of which continue to be exaggerated in the media. Undoubtedly, for the average martial arts lover in the United States, this fight seems to be much more interesting than the purely Russian duel between Bivol and Beterbiev. And it doesn't matter that the first undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world since 2002 will be crowned according to its results. Then this bar obeyed Roy Jones Jr. True, it was enough for him to take only three trophies.
And although both opponents wanted to face off against each other and will certainly be upset by such an end to the negotiation process, the damage cannot be called the same. The same Bivol, although he loses the opportunity to finally put an end to the dispute about the strongest representative of the division up to 79.3 kilograms, still retains excellent chances not only to stay at the top of world boxing, but also to earn a tidy sum. If the defense of the belt with the conditional Joshua Buatsi and Dan Aziz is unlikely to allow him to increase his fan base and get a large fee, then the second fight with Alvarez is quite.
Yes, in recent weeks, Bivol's team has repeatedly made it clear that their priority is the meeting with Beterbiev, while the rematch with Canelo is not so interesting to the athlete himself. And it is supposedly more difficult to organize it. Apparently, because of Dmitry's demand to hold him in the super middleweight division and with all Saul's belts at stake. Perhaps the Mexican is not ready to risk everything or intends to fight again in the light heavyweight category in order to prove his ability to compete with the Russian on his territory.
In addition, a potential battle with Alvarez may not take place until the fall of 2023, because in May he will clash with John Ryder. And this is unlikely to suit Bivol, who has not entered the ring since November last year. Such a long downtime at his age does not make sense. And it is unlikely that he will be allowed to sit idly by so much. During this time, he is more likely to be obliged to carry out the mandatory defense of the WBA belt, but there is no reason to hope for the star counterpart. The category simply does not have such.
As for Beterbiev, he is in an even less advantageous position. After all, he has no option to fight with the same Canelo and earn millions, and his desire to fight Oleksandr Usyk again is unlikely to ever be realized. The Ukrainian does not need to return to the first heavyweight, and the Russian is unlikely to go to the most prestigious category. And this is just one of many reasons.
Everything goes to the fact that Beterbiev's next opponent will be Callum Smith, a former world super middleweight champion who lasted all 2020 rounds with Alvarez in 12. And according to the well-known promoter Eddie Hearn, the Briton has excellent chances to interrupt the Russian's unbeaten streak. In his opinion, he has a powerful blow and may well send his opponent to a deep knockout.
But if calling Smith the favorite of the upcoming duel seems reckless, then it is impossible not to pay tribute to him. Especially taking into account Beterbiev's not the most confident performances in recent fights. With Marcus Brown, he experienced some problems until he turned on "God Mode" and crushed him in the ninth round, and almost lost to Anthony Yarde. At times, the Briton interrupted the Russian and was close to sending him to the canvas, but in the end he himself followed this route.
And although the battle with Smith promises to be extremely curious and intense, in terms of excitement, it is closely comparable to the unification duel with Bivol. And in the near future, Beterbiev is unlikely to have the opportunity to hold a fight of this magnitude. At 79.3 kilograms, there are simply no such promoted athletes who can help Arthur assemble the stadium and earn a record fee in his career, as in 90.7. After the departure of Usyk, Denis Lebedev and Murat Gassiev, that weight class noticeably lost popularity, and conditional meetings with Arsen Gulamiryan, Badu Jack or Lawrence Okolie can hardly be called monetary.