Boxing

Dmitry Bivol vs Canelo Alvarez Rematch? 5 Possible Opponents For Dmitry Bivol After Becoming Undisputed Champion

Canelo Alvarez? Artur Beterbiev? Who else is on the shortlist for Dmitry Bivol's next fight?

Lewis Watson

May 7, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Canelo Alvarez (pink trunks) and Dimitry Bivol (black trunks) box during their light heavyweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
May 7, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Canelo Alvarez (pink trunks) and Dimitry Bivol (black trunks) box during their light heavyweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

We have a new undisputed champion at light-heavyweight in the form of Dmitry Bivol, who scored a majority decision victory over Artur Beterbiev in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night in another spellbinding encounter between the pair of greats.

The scorecards read the same as they did last October, but flipped in favour of the challenger, meaning that Bivol and Beterbiev have the unusual relationship on their records of taking each other's unbeaten status.

The dust has barely settled in the desert since Saturday night's contest, but that won't stop us looking towards the future and what could possibly be next for Dmitry Bivol.

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Artur Beterbiev

We've enjoyed 24 rounds of near boxing perfection between Bivol and Beterbiev, so you'd struggle to find anyone with a strong argument as to why we shouldn't get the trilogy match in an attempt to settle the score for good.

Beterbiev gave Bivol an immediate rematch so you'd expect the champion to offer the 40-year-old the same respect this time around.

Boxing's Saudi overlord Turki Alalshikh is clearly a fan of these two fighters and a trilogy encounter will once again make everyone involved a healthy chunk of money.

These two undoubtedly sit atop the 175-pound division and their styles are made for each other.

Canelo Alvarez

Bivol defeated Saul Canelo Alvarez in 2022 in what was a surprisingly one-sided match-up at light-heavyweight.

It was, of course, a big jump up in divisions for the Mexican, but Bivol used his natural size advantage to cruise to a unanimous decision on the scorecards.

Canelo is reaching the end of his incredible career and looks keen on cashing in as many checks as possible, but his four-fight deal with Turki doesn't appear to involve a move to rematch Bivol despite the intrigue.

David Benavidez

Benavidez is the interim WBA/WBC light-heavyweight champion and has earned the shot at Bivol's crown.

The Mexican owns a perfect 30-0 record including 24 KOs, and after besting David Morrell earlier this year has made himself clear that he wants a shot at the undisputed light-heavyweight crown.

Benavidez's aggressive come-forward style could see similarities in the two Beterbiev encounters, with Benavidez blessed with more height and range.

Callum Smith

Callum Smith's impressive win over Joshua Buatsi on the Beterbiev-Bivol undercard earned him the WBO interim light-heavyweight title.

The former super-middleweight world champion is determined to win gold at 175-pounds before hanging up his gloves, and a contest with Bivol is the natural fight to make for the Liverpudlian.

Smith fell short against Beterbiev in early 2024 but his powerful display on Saturday night would have caught the eye of Bivol, Turki and all else involved.

Jai Opetaia

The least likely, but perhaps the most fun?

Jai Opetaia is widely regarded as the best cruiserweight on the planet, and if Bivol decides to move up in weight then he might as well go all out against the number one.

Opetaia is unbeaten in 27 outings and is being tipped by many to follow in the footsteps of Oleksandr Usyk and make the jump up to heavyweight.

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Lewis Watson
LEWIS WATSON

Lewis is a seasoned sports writer from London and has covered boxing across the globe for publications including Boxing News, The Guardian and SB Nation. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, giving him voting rights at the annual International Boxing Hall of Fame inductions. Roman Gonzalez, Ricky Hatton and Roberto Duran make up a frightening trio of his favourite fighters.