Dmitry Bivol near decision on new broadcast partner

Dmitry Bivol, the unbeaten holder of the WBA “world” light heavyweight title and one of the top 175-pound fighters in the world today, has narrowed his search for a new broadcast partner down to two, according to ESPN.

Bivol’s manager Vadim Kornilov says that the decision for where the 28-year-old star will fight from now on has come down to ESPN and DAZN, and that PBC is no longer being considered, though there were talks.

Bivol (15-0, 11 KO) had been featured on HBO for his rise to major relevance in boxing, but with HBO no longer in the boxing business, he’s become a coveted broadcast free agent. He’s a top five fighter in a good division with plenty of history, really one of boxing’s glory divisions historically, and not only is he a (sorta) titleholder and a top contender and in his prime, but he’s pretty entertaining to watch, to boot.

A deal with ESPN could in theory lead to a fight with WBC titleholder Oleksandr Gvozdyk or the Alvarez-Kovalev II winner, while a deal with DAZN could lead to a bout with IBF titleholder Artur Beterbiev. None of that is likely to come immediately, but if you’re looking at the upside of one or the other, that’s probably a big part of what is being considered right now by Bivol and his team, specifically where they can get the biggest fight(s) and make the most money.