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Dmitry Bivol Set for Light Heavyweight Showdown With British Star

Dmitry Bivol has agreed to fight in Russia for the unified 175-pound championship.
Terrance Biggs|
Dmitry Bivol
Dmitry Bivol | IMAGO / SOPA Images

As one of boxing's marquee divisions, the light-heavyweight category attracts significant attention from promoters and sanctioning organizations, while fans and the media have openly discussed every possible matchup.

Champions continue to navigate promotional agreements and mandatory fights, trying to stay as healthy as possible, both physically and in their careers. While not stated explicitly, the goal is title unification, as those belt holders draw attention from the entire division and subsequent sanctioning bodies.

Getting champions to commit to a match isn't difficult; just the finer details are what can hold up any effort. As a result, bouts fans and the media desire are often shelved and never come to fruition. However, two of the division's best will meet this winter to solidify their standing at the top.

Dmitry Bivol
Dmitry Bivol | IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

Bivol to face Smith in December

On December 12 at the UMMC in Yekaterinburg, Russia, WBO champion Dmitry Bivol will defend his title against WBO light heavyweight champion Callum Smith. Additionally, the WBA and IBF 175-pound titles will be on the line.

The WBO wants to unify its light heavyweight title. Smith is the interim champion. Bivol is the regular WBO champion and holds the IBF, WBA (Super), and Ring light heavyweight belts. All the alphabet organizations want this fight to produce a single champion capable of carrying the division.

With that said, holding the fight in Bivol's home country of Russia proved challenging. Currently, Russia is involved in a nasty, years-long war with the neighboring nation of Ukraine. Normally, Moscow would be the host. However, getting as far away from the national capital makes sense. Yekaterinburg is 881 miles from Moscow, providing enough daylight. Apparently, the WBO needed the assurance.

The next chapter for Bivol

By nature, Bivol is a technical fighter, using his jab as a primary weapon. In other words, the champion tries to use the jab to start exchanges and disrupt the opponent's offense. His attempt to be a ring general against Smith is a difficult task.

At six-foot-three, Smith will enter the bout with a decided reach advantage. The long guard also threatens Bivol's attempts to control the action and pace. Furthermore, Smith's leverage advantage serves as another crucial weapon in his arsenal. He will counterpunch smaller fighters who come forward to engage and stay on the outside, risking points for Smith.

After years of uncertainty and changes within one of boxing's original divisions, Bivol and Smith have the potential to bring more stability to the top with the WBA, WBO, IBF, and The Ring world titles on the line.

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Published
Terrance Biggs
TERRANCE BIGGS

Terrance is a boxing writer for KO on SI. He's enjoyed over a decade of writing experience, writing for Full Press Coverage, Pro Football Sports Network and Heavy.com, covering both professional and collegiate sports. He is s a member of the Football Writers Association of America and the United States Basketball Writers Association. Terrance also votes on postseason awards like the Biletnikoff, Groza, and Thorpe Awards. Biggs earned his bachelor's degree in Communication from Fort Hays State University. When not writing, he enjoys spending time with his children and his fiancée, along with playing softball.