Dmitry Bivol – Yet another example of a faltering career due to inactivity

After beating Canelo, Bivol seemingly had the world at his feet but 18 months on, it appears not a lot has changed for the WBA champion

On Cinco de Mayo weekend in May 2022, the star attraction of the sport and Mexican hero Canelo Alvarez jumped up in weight to begin his planned ascent to undisputed 175lb champion, facing the classy Russian and WBA champ Dmitry Bivol. It was a risky move, but a challenge which most felt the pound for pound star would overcome. Instead however, this played out to be a step too far. Dmitry Bivol’s size and ring IQ saw him put on a boxing masterclass, bamboozling the super middleweight supremo with a perfect fusion of masterful footwork and simple but effective long-range boxing. The scorecards suggested a competitive fight, however all those who watched the fight knew that Canelo had been comprehensively outboxed.

For Dmitry Bivol, surely from here his career was to be catapulted to superstardom after a lob sided victory over the face of the sport, but what has transpired since then has been nothing of the sort. Since then he has only fought the once, another impressive wide decision victory against unbeaten Mexican southpaw and former super middleweight world champion Gilberto Ramirez. With that fighting taking place in November 2022, Bivol has now been inactive for over a year, with his next date reportedly set for January 2023 in a WBA title defence.

Canelo on the other hand, in spite of defeat has still remained the same global attraction he always has been, fighting three times since May 2022; a third fight with Golovkin, another keep busy fight against John Ryder and an undisputed 168lb title defence against Jermell Charlo. One has to ask themselves why Bivol has seemingly been put to one side?

One reason is of course his comparative lack of commercial viability. He does not have a huge fan base in the US, or anywhere really, which of course affects the revenue his fights can generate. But after getting a win over the star attraction of the sport in Las Vegas in May 2022, have his promotional team done enough by getting him out just the once? There was a huge opportunity to capitalise on this moment, and unfortunately it seems this moment may now have passed.

There isn’t an abundance of huge fights in and around his weight, aside from the Canelo rematch and of course the undisputed fight with fellow countryman, the frightening knockout artist Arthur Beterbiev. Why this fight has yet to be made is anyone’s guess. Decent match ups have been attempted to be carved out with brit duo Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez, but again nothing came to fruition.

It must be incredibly frustrating for Dmitry Bivol, who after securing boxing’s golden ticket and becoming only the second man to defeat Canelo, the following 18 months have in all honestly played out the same way they could have done had he been defeated. The sport needs to do better, but this issue is not exclusive to Dmitry Bivol.

Terence Crawford and Erroll Spence’s superfight was both of their only showcase this year. Tyson Fury, the heavyweight king had just one fight, an immensely disappointing showing against debutant Francis Ngannou. Long term rival Oleksandr Usyk also only fought the once, a routine title defence against Daniel Dubois.

What is most frustrating is a lot of the star attractions of the sport are letting their best years pass them by in the gym. Dmitry Bivol is now 32, Tyson Fury 35 and Usyk 36.

The signs aren’t great that this inactivity of boxing’s elite will get any better. Showtime has just announced they shutting down their boxing broadcasts, leaving Al Haymon’s entire stable without any proposed dates for the new year.

What is the main cause here? Are TV networks simply not as willing to invest in the sport as they once were? Are the fighters themselves pricing themselves out? Once fighters reach a certain status, do they no longer have the hunger to fight more than once a year? It is probably a combination of these factors which together create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Without the momentum that comes from consistent showcases, fighters fan bases and eligibility as a commercial attraction fades, TV networks and promotional outfits become unwilling to pay the multimillion purses fighters demand and the cycle goes on.

We can perhaps learn something from the UFC. Of course it is made easier that everybody fights under one TV network and promotional company, but their leading attractions and belt holders tend to consistently get out twice a year against the highest ranked available challenger.

We have had some fantastic match ups in 2023. Crawford vs Spence, Inoue vs Fulton, Canelo vs Charlo, Haney vs Lomachenko and Davis vs Garcia to name a few. Hopefully this plethora of superfight’s can be followed up in 2024, with the added bonus of the top names in the division getting out more than once a year.

For Dmitry Bivol, a WBA title defence in January, followed by an undisputed battle with Beterbiev in the summer and rematch with Canelo to follow would be the dream year, bringing him the financial reward this his talent undoubtedly deserves. As is often the case with boxing however, whether this comes to fruition remains to be seen.

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