Bivol shocked Canelo Alvarez last month with a dominant twelve-round unanimous decision. The Russian boxer has already defeated Smith by decision. If Beterbiev wins, it will certainly set the stage for an interesting battle between the two Russians. Andrey Ryabinsky, Bivol's promoter, told Sky Sports that his boxer would be an interested observer for Saturday's unification bout.
“We really like both of these fighters [Beterbiev and Smith]. Bivol would be extremely interested in fighting the winner of this fight, especially if Artur Beterbiev is the winner. The fight between Bivol and Beterbiev is the long-awaited dream of all boxing fans,” said Ryabinsky.
Top Rank president Todd Duboeuf, Beterbiev's promoter, also likes the idea of fighting Bivol. However, he warns that there are still a few options for their charge, such as mandatory WBO title challenger Anthony Yarde.
“For many years, we have been talking about the battles of Bivol and Beterbiev. When everything came to a standstill during covid and everything was paralyzed, it didn't go too far, Duboeuf said in an interview with Sky Sports. "I think the potential for this fight has been increased as a result of Bivol's rise to prominence with a big win."
“I think this division obviously got more interesting when Bivol beat Canelo. But there will be many options for the winner of this fight. This includes the mandatory contender for the WBO title. Bivol, obviously, is also in the subject, but we also have guys like Gilberto Ramirez and so on. I think that there are really a lot of options for interesting fights in this division now, ”added Duboeuf.