Dmitry Bivol eager to end layoff, eyes light heavyweight unification

It’s been 19 months since light heavyweight titleholder Dmirty Bivol last fought. Of course that’s not the way Bivol would’ve preferred things — he would’ve much rather kept active during this time — but he’s also well aware of the circumstances that have kept him out of the ring and tells RingTV that he believes it’s important for him to keep his composure.

Bivol will be back in action this weekend in Manchester, where he’s scheduled to face Craig Richards, and while Bivol credits Richards with being a good fighter that he’ll have to come prepared for, he’s still looking for bigger fish to fry, mentioning the winner of a prospective Joe Smith Jr-Artur Beterbiev fight.

“As I have always said, I would like to unify titles with other champions as well. If they are available, I am ready to fight the winner of Smith vs. Beterbiev (who are tabbed to face each other later this year) or anybody in the top 10 (of the) world ratings.”

How to Watch Bivol vs Richards

Date: Saturday, May 1 | Start Time: 1:00 pm ET
Location: AO Arena - Manchester, England
Streaming: DAZN | TV: Sky Box Office (UK)
Online Coverage: BadLeftHook.com

Bivol’s manager, Vadim Kornilov, believes marquee fights for Bivol could be right around the corner, saying they’re also hoping Gilberto Ramirez shows some interest in meeting Bivol in the ring. Naturally, though, Craig Richards will be standing in between Bivol and the fights he’s seeking in the short term, and Bivol can’t afford to fall flat here if he wants the unification fights he seeks.