AN unexpected cruiserweight clash between Dmitry Bivol and Jai Opetaia has become a possibility, particularly now that Artur Beterbiev has announced his fight for November.
It was widely anticipated that Bivol, 24-1 (12 KOs), and Beterbiev would enter a trilogy showdown later this year, with the former even vacating his WBC world title in pursuit of their light-heavyweight rubber match.
The 34-year-old had claimed that green and gold strap, along with three more major belts, following his majority decision victory in February.
Before that, though, Bivol lost to his domestic rival by an identical margin in October, with Beterbiev becoming the first undisputed champion at 175lbs since Roy Jones Jr.
But despite the pair reaching a verdict of 1-1, their third encounter, which would have reportedly included the involvement of a Russian backer, could not quite get over the line.
Instead, Beterbiev will face little-known operator Deon Nicholson on November 22, featuring on the undercard of David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde, while Bivol is expected to remain out of action for several months.
Taking to Instagram late last night, the masterful technician explained that he has undergone surgery for a previous back injury, meaning that he is now faced with around six to eight weeks of recovery.
By the time he returns to full fitness, however, it is entirely possible that, rather than sticking around for a third fight with Beterbiev, Bivol would have made a rather audacious leap up to 200lbs.
Not only that, but according to Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn, IBF world cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia has already been discussed as a potential opponent for the light-heavyweight king.
“He’s not ready to fight in November, and you probably won’t see him fight until right at the end of this year, or probably early 2026,” Hearn, who promotes both Bivol and Opetaia, 28-0 (22 KOs), told Boxing News.
“We don’t have a problem fighting Beterbiev – he [Bivol] beat him comfortably in the second fight and he’ll beat him even more comfortably next time.
“He’ll return when he’s physically ready, whether that’s against Beterbiev, whether that’s against [David] Benavidez, whether that’s against Canelo Alvarez.
“We even talked about him stepping up and fighting Jai Opetaia at cruiserweight, which I think is a fantastic fight.”
Opetaia has expressed his desire to face unified world champion Gilberto Ramirez but, unless that matchup materialises, the Australian would more than likely be eager to secure a legacy-defining dustup with Bivol.
