Seldom does any fighter, outside of the big boys in the heavyweight division, remain in one weight class for the entirety of their careers. Like everyone else, boxers, no matter how disciplined they appear to be, their bodies change over time.
The added weight around the midsection, whether it’s muscle or not, forces them to move up. Dmitry Bivol is no different. The Russian star doesn’t have any issues making the 175-pound light heavyweight limit, but he would love to become a multi-divisional champion.
In years past, the 32-year-old admitted that he considered a move down to the super middleweight division. Now, he’s taking a strong look in the opposition direction.
By and large, Bivol’s interest in fighting bigger men didn’t simply come out of nowhere.
Roughly a month ago, Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs) flicked on his television set. On the screen was a familiar face. Gilberto Ramirez, a fighter he cruised by in 2022, got up and left the light heavyweight division after failing to dethrone Bivol. He would make his official cruiserweight debut against another fighter Bivol beat, Joe Smith Jr.
Watching two fighters he got rid of with relative ease has Bivol feeling confident about his own chances 25 pounds north.
“I saw the fight, Ramirez against Smith,” Bivol told Fight Hub TV. “If they can do it, why can’t I move up?”
There isn’t an exact timetable placed on when he wants to make the jump. To a large extent, Bivol isn’t skipping out on meals and showing up frail on scales. Meaning, if he chose, he could remain in the light heavyweight division for as long as he wanted. But, to a large extent, Bivol has a goal in mind before anything is set in stone.
With just one title sitting on his mantle, the pound-for-pound luminary is hoping that 2024 will be the year when he takes on current unified champion, Artur Beterbiev. Beating his fellow Russian would make Bivol an undisputed titlist.
There’s no way around it, aggregating every major title in his current weight class is the sole reason why Bivol is sticking around. If he’s eventually able to scratch that goal off his to-do list, the cruiserweight division is likely to get a new entrant.
“I just need to finish with my weight class and then I will think about something else. I hope I will reach my goal.”