“It’s not fair,” Dmitry Bivol publicly calls out WBC for mixing politics with sport on banning Russian fighters

The WBC made the call to not recognize Russian and Belarusian fighters due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine

“It’s not fair,” Dmitry Bivol publicly calls out WBC for mixing politics with sport on banning Russian fighters

Dmitry Bivol calls out WBC for the unfair ban of Russian fighters (Image via : The Sun)

WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is unhappy with WBC’s decision. After his victory over Gilberto Ramirez, Bivol was looking to achieve the undisputed title. A potential clash with Artur Beterbiev would have helped Bivol achieve his goal. However, due to WBC’s ban, the four-belt fight might not be in the cards for Bivol.

Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine has had the boxing world face some major setbacks. Under the sanctions applied to Russia, WBC has removed all its Russian and Belarusian fighters from its rankings. Due to this, no Russian or Belarusian fighter will be eligible to fight for any of WBC’s titles. Dmitry Bivol who resides in St. Petersburg is removed from WBC’s rankings due to the sanctions.

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Artur Beterbiev is yet another Russian who should have been affected by the decision. However, Artur holds a Canadian passport and has called Montreal his home for years, exempting him from WBC’s decision. Despite the intriguing matchup between Bivol and Beterbiev for the undisputed championship title, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman won’t sanction the fight. Dmitry Bivol has called WBC’s decision unfair and asked to keep politics and sports separate from each other in his interview.

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“It’s not fair. How can you say, ‘I am the champion of the world,’ if somebody from some country can’t fight for your belt? It’s not fair… Don’t mix politics and sport, don’t mix it,” said Bivol in an interview. Despite Bivol’s plead, the WBC will not entertain the possibility of this fight for now. Beterbiev has been ordered to make a mandatory title defense against Callum Smith. Meanwhile, Bivol has yet to reach a decision for his rematch with Mexican fighter Canelo Alvarez.

Related: “I want to fight Joshua in mars!” Dmitry Bivol hilariously trolls Canelo Alvarez for unrealistic offer for rematch

Dmitry Bivol gives his final decision on Canelo Alvarez rematch

Dmitry Bivol gives his final decision on Canelo Alvarez rematch
Dmitry Bivol vs Canelo Alvarez face-off (Image via: Ring Magazine)

Lightweight heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol handed Canelo his second career loss during their bout in May. Ever since that bout, Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez has continuously stated that he wants a rematch with Bivol. However, Dmitry has given his final answer to Canelo’s offer.

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Dmitry Bivol and his team are not sold on the idea of a possible rematch with Canelo at 175 lbs. Instead, Bivol wants to go down at 168 lbs and challenge Canelo for all his belts. Bivol believes since he won the first bout, he gets to decide the terms. However, this condition is continuously being rejected by Canelo. The Mexican fighter and his team want a rematch with terms and conditions similar to their first bout. The dispute over the desired weight class for both fighters has proved to be the biggest obstacle for the rematch.

Bivol believes Alvarez wants to play it safe due to his loss in the first fight.“We are nowhere with the fight against Canelo, to be honest. This is why I don’t like to talk about it. I think about my own way. He says he wants a rematch. You want a rematch, but then do nothing? He wants just another chance to get my belt, but he doesn’t want to risk his belt,” said Bivol. With very slim chances of a rematch with Bivol, Canelo has shifted his attention to welterweight fighters. Jermall Charlo and Badou Jack are the next best options for the Mexican fighter.

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