Dmitry Bivol admits his long-term goal of becoming the Libra-for-Libra king is on hold as he takes on a determined Gilberto Ramirez next.
Bivol fights for the 21st time on November 5 when the WBA light heavyweight champion takes on his mandatory challenger.
Dmitri Bivol
A former WBO champion at 168 pounds, “Zurdo” Ramírez has been chasing his title shot for over a year. He now has the opportunity to dethrone the man he accuses of dodging him for so long.
For his part, Bivol wanted to build on his win over Canelo Alvarez in May. However, Ramirez comes first as a frustrated Bivol waits for the Canelo vs. Golovkin saga to end on September 17.
“Yes, [Gilberto Ramirez] maybe one of the toughest fights of my career. But I always think like that before my fights,” Bivol said.
“Everyone who wanted to do this fight. I am happy to defend my title in Abu Dhabi. Thanks to Ramírez for this fight.
“I know I wanted this fight for a long time. I also. Now it will happen. He is a good fighter, and I like challenges.
“I like to fight the guy who has won 44 fights and is bigger and taller than me. This is a big challenge for me.
“I expect it to be a great fight on November 5.”
Abu Dhabi
On defending his belt in Abu Dhabi, Bivol added: “I have to focus only on this fight.
“Every time I fight, I focus on that fight. Of course, I have big plans in my head; I want to be the best fighter in the world.
“I want to get more belts. But now I have a great fight against a good fighter. I’ll try to focus only on November 5th.
“I heard that this is the first time that someone has defended a world title in Abu Dhabi. It’s great to be the first. I hope it is not the last time in Abu Dhabi.”
Bivol knows that a win could mean another big payday, much bigger than the last, against Canelo next May. You can’t afford any mistakes.
The 12-round bout is the first fight of the newly installed “Champion Series”, which will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday, November 5.
Bivol vs Ramirez will be live to subscribers around the world on DAZN (except South Korea and MENA).
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