Fans want to see Dmitry Bivol move up to cruiserweight and challenge IBF champion Jai Opetaia for his belt following his victory over undisputed super middleweight champion Artur Beterbiev in their rematch last Saturday night.
Opetaia would likely welcome a fight against Bivol because he speaks highly of him and likes his technical skills. It would take a lot of bravery on Bivol’s part to go up in weight by 25 lbs, but that’s similar to what Canelo Alvarez dealt with when he moved up to 175 and fought him in 2022.
Bivol’s promoters at Matchroom Boxing have been telling fans and the media that he’s 2-0 against Beterbiev because they feel he deserved a win in the first fight last October. If they really believe that, it means there are no more mountains to climb at 175. Bivol might as well move up to cruiserweight to challenge the King of the division, Opetaia (27-0, 21 KOs).
They don’t want Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) to do that because the risk of him getting knocked out by Opetaia would be too high. Also, Matchroom promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Smith hope Canelo Alvarez will want to fight him in a rematch. That isn’t very likely, but they’re hoping it will happen.
If Bivol doesn’t fight Beterbiev in a trilogy match and doesn’t get the Canelo fight, moving up to cruiserweight for a battle against Opetaia makes the most sense. Let’s see if Bivol’s movement, fast combinations, and clinching will work for him against Jai. There’s not that much of a difference in size between them.
Bivol’s Options at 168
– Beterbiev trilogy
– Canelo Alvarez
– David Benavidez
– Callum Smith
– Terence Crawford
– Anthony Yarde
The trilogy with Beterbiev will come down to whether Turki Alalshikh wants to pursue it. He’s got to be aware that fans aren’t all that interested in seeing a third fight between them. They want something different.
Last Updated on 02/25/2025
