Eddie Hearn on Dmitry Bivol, Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin

Overnight, Dmitry Bivol became one of the biggest names in boxing by beating pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez. Many rumors have begun to circulate regarding Canelo’s next move, but promoter Eddie Hearn has other plans if the Bivol rematch does not go ahead.

At the O2 Arena, former Dmitry Bivol opponent Craig Richards, faced Joshua Buatsi. Bivol had defeated Richards in a close fight via unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight 118-110, 115-113, and 115-114 in the Russian’s favor. Fans were quick to suggest that Richards did a better job against Bivol than Canelo did.

Buatsi-Richards was a much closer fight than most predicted. Buatsi dominated Richards early on in the fight before Richards came back with his own onslaught. In the end Joshua Buatsi won the bout via unanimous decision.

After the fight Eddie Hearn spoke to Seconds Out:

“I think there is no levels between Craig Richards and these world champions. The natural step is to fight for a world championship. So obviously if Canelo does not fight Bivol then I think it could be a very good chance Buatsi will be fighting him. [On Canelo] He wants to fight Bivol but maybe we go GGG then Bivol”.

Watch the full interview here:

The fight was an eliminator for the WBA World Light Heavyweight Championship held by Dmitry Bivol. As Joshua Buatsi and Bivol are both promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom boxing, the fight can easily be made next.

Dmitry Bivol could possibly have multiple options available for his next fight

Following the defeat of Canelo Alvarez, Dmitry Bivol has put himself in a favorable position. In fights going forward, Bivol could possibly be the “A side” as he is “the man to beat the man”. Aside from Buatsi, and the Canelo rematch, there is another mouth-watering option for Bivol.

For years, fans have called for a fight between Bivol and another light heavyweight titleholder, Artur Beterbiev. Beterbiev holds the WBC and IBF Light Heavyweight Championships. Most critics suggest that Bivol and Beterbiev are two best light heavyweights in the world. In his next fight, Beterbiev will face Joe Smith Jr, the WBO Light Heavyweight Champion, in a unification bout.

Watch Dmitry Bivol speak about his dreams of becoming undisputed:

Bivol has long spoken about wanting to become a unified champion. After his victory over Canelo, Bivol stated that his main goal was to chase all the belts. As such, unification remains his top priority.

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Bivol is even willing to face Canelo at Super Middleweight to make that dream come true. If the winner of the Artur Beterbiev-Joe Smith Jr. clash faces Bivol, it would potentially unify the light heavyweight division and crown a undisputed champion.