Dmitry Bivol

Dmitry Yuryevich Bivol (Russian: Дмитрий Юрьевич Бивол; born 18 December 1990) is a Russian professional boxer. He won the undisputed light-heavyweight title in February 2025, and has held the unified championship since April 2025, as well as the International Boxing Organization (IBO) and Ring magazine titles since February 2025. Previously, he held the World Boxing Association (WBA) light-heavyweight title (Super version) from 2019 to 2024. He also held the IBO title during his first reign as champion.

As an amateur, Bivol won the gold medal at the 2013 World Combat Games in the 81 kg weight category. He was listed by multiple sources as the fighter of the year for 2022, including being selected as The Ring magazine Fighter of The Year and as the Boxing Writers Association of America's Fighter of the Year. He is the only boxer to defeat two reigning undisputed world champions in the "four-belt era," with his victories over super-middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez and light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, though only his fight with Beterbiev was for the undisputed championship, as his fight with Álvarez was for the WBA light heavyweight title.

Dmitry Bivol's father was born in the Moldavian SSR, while his mother is an ethnic Korean born in the Kazakh SSR.

Bivol's parents moved to the Kirgiz SSR after graduating and marrying. He was born and raised in Tokmok, in what is now Kyrgyzstan, until the age of 11, when he moved to Saint Petersburg in the Russian Federation after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Dmitry Bivol took up boxing at the age of six in Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan. Bivol was a naturally bigger kid and he weighed a lot compared to an average-size boy of his age. He explains how his confidence grew as he started to win over much older guys in his amateur bouts. Bivol was a decorated amateur, winning two world championships at the junior (U-17) level, as well as a bronze medal at the 2008 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in the middleweight division. Bivol won the Russian national amateur boxing championships in 2012 and 2014, as a light heavyweight. His record as an amateur is 268–15.

Bivol made his professional debut in November 2014. He won his first six fights by knockout. He sparred with Egor Mekhontsev, Jean Pascal, and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy early in his career. He lives in St. Petersburg but trains in Southern California.

Bivol won the interim WBA light heavyweight title on 21 May 2016, beating previously undefeated Felix Valera by unanimous decision (119–107, 119–107, 116–111). Bivol dominated Marcos Felix, dropping him twice with combinations. At the time, the WBA had three different world titles, with Bivol holding the lesser version of them. Bivol's first defense came against Robert Berridge on 23 February 2017. Bivol easily overcame Berridge, pummeling him over four rounds before a technical knockout stoppage. Berridge was knocked down in round 3. At the start of round 4, Bivol opened a cut over Berridge's right eye. Following another knockdown and with Berridge bleeding profusely, the ringside doctor stopped the fight. Bivol then defended his title against Samuel Clarkson on 14 April 2017. The fight headlined a ShoBox show at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland. Bivol once again won in dominant fashion, knocking Clarkson down twice in the first round, before dropping him once more with a short right hand midway through round 4. Although Clarkson got up, the referee stopped the fight, giving Bivol a TKO win.

Bivol sought to face WBA (Regular) champion Nathan Cleverly following his win over Clarkson. He appeared on the undercard of Ward-Kovalev II, in a non-title bout against Cedric Agnew. Agnew had previously lost to Clarkson. Bivol once again won quickly and emphatically, getting a 4th-round TKO for the third consecutive time. Agnew was dropped in the first round.