Dmitry Bivol faces a tough choice between following Turki Alalshikh's fight plan and keeping his WBC title. The light heavyweight champ will likely stick with Alalshikh's orders, even if it means losing his belt.
Eddie Hearn, Bivol's promoter, spilled the beans on the situation. He said they got an offer from Sampson Boxing for Bivol to fight David Benavidez. But there's a catch – Alalshikh already mapped out Bivol's next four fights.
"Turki gave him, most importantly, the fight against Beterbiev for undisputed. After that, which we consider a bad decision, he gave Bivol the rematch four months later. So, we are doing what His Excellency tells us for the next fight."
The WBC isn't happy about this. They've given Bivol until April 8 to negotiate a fight with Benavidez, or they'll take away his title. But it looks like Bivol and his team are ready to let that belt go if they have to.
Hearn explained their thinking:
"I guess it's down to how we handle the Bivol-Beterbiev 1. I hope it's the trilogy fight. If His Excellency says, 'I want you to fight David Benavidez', no problem. But we want to keep all the belts, but if we have to lose one to follow His Excellency's plan against Dmitry Bivol, that's no problem either."
Some boxing experts think Bivol's dodging Benavidez, nicknamed the "Mexican Monster". They reckon Bivol sees Beterbiev as an easier fight because they've already faced each other.
If Bivol goes with Alalshikh's plan, he'll probably fight Beterbiev for the third time. This means he'll complete the trilogy but might lose his WBC title. On the flip side, if he chooses Benavidez, he'll keep his belt but go against Alalshikh's wishes and face a potentially tougher opponent.
Whatever Bivol decides, it's clear he's in a tight spot. He's got to weigh his loyalty to Alalshikh against the risk of losing a title and how the boxing world will see his choice. The clock's ticking, and all eyes are on Bivol to see what he'll do next.
