Dmitry Bivol is defending his WBA light heavyweight title against Lyndon Arthur on December 23rd in what could be the last fight for the unbeaten champion until he faces Artur Beterbiev in the undisputed 175-lb championship, possibly in Saudi Arabia.
Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) says he doesn’t want to look past Arthur because that would be a mistake. Saudi businessman Turki Alalshikh is reportedly interested in staging the Bivol vs. Beterbiev fight in his country.
Dmitry admits that he doesn’t know much about the 32-year-old Lyndon Arthur, so this will be a fight that he’ll need to figure out on the go.
Gareth A. Davies: “We have Dmitry Bivol, who I think is not high up enough in the pound-for-pound,” said Gareth to talkSport Boxing during the kick-off press conference for the December 23rd card in Saudi Arabia.
Spencer Oliver: “Dmitry, a massive night here on December 23rd in Saudi Arabia. How pleased are you to be involved in this?”
Dmitry Bivol: “I’m so thankful to be a part of this big event. It’s great. I want to say thank you to Saudi Arabia and to Turki Alalshikh for what he’s making for not only me but for boxing fans. I think both of these guys deserve their own show, and we will see.”
Gareth: “There’s about eight of you who deserve their own show. You were out there in the Riyadh Season. Is it unbelievable to see this come to life two weeks later, or did you know this was going to happen?”
Bivol: “I knew we would talk about this fight, and like I thought maybe in the Fury-Usyk, I would fight, but I didn’t want to talk about it because it was far.”
Gareth: “You were there with Beterbiev, and you faced off with him. Obviously, you faced Lyndon Arthur, who has been a world champion himself. He’s a very strong contender. You have to take him very seriously.
“If Beterbiev beats [Callum] Smith in January and you win in December, do you expect them to bring Beterbiev and yourself together in Saudi Arabia next year?”
Bivol: “Of course, I’m ready to fight for all of the belts, but I don’t want to talk about it now because I don’t want to look behind his back.”
Oliver: “How highly do you rate Lyndon Arthur? What do you know about him, and how highly do you rate him?”
Bivol: “I don’t know about him too much, but I know he’s champion of the world, IBO, and he’s disciplined. He’s got good boxing skills, and he’s tall. Of course, I will take him serious.”
Gareth: “He’s the most dangerous man in the world for you, isn’t he?”
Bivol: “Yes, he is. Every time I’m going to fight, I look at my opponent like he’s the most dangerous fighter in the world.”
Gareth: “What if they suggested to bring Canelo to Saudi next year to fight you because, obviously, that’s a fight? He wants a rematch with you at some point.”
Bivol: “He wants or doesn’t want, it doesn’t matter.”
Gareth: “Is he running scared from you?”
Bivol: “I beat him. Just close the subject, and I’m looking forward to my weight class, and he has his own. That’s it.”
Gareth: “Would you beat him up, though, for money again? Come on.”
Bivol: “We could talk ‘What if,’ but I don’t want to talk about what if.”
Oliver: “There was talk about you going down to super middleweight to fight him. Could you possibly make super middleweight, or is light heavyweight just right for you.”
Gareth: “You look super middleweight right now.”
Bivol: “I’m not a big guy, of course.”
Oliver: “Is super middleweight possible?”
Bivol: “Of course. I told them before and it’s possible, but I have plan now. I will move in my weight division.”
