The WBA has formally ordered Dmitry Bivol, the light heavyweight champion, to defend his championship against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, potentially putting an end to any rumors about Bivol’s probable fall opponent.

Bivol (20 to 0, 11 KO), who just defeated Canelo Alvarez on May 7, had been expected to make a comeback in September or October. Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing were hoping to schedule him close to Canelo’s rematch with Gennady Golovkin on September 17.

A Bivol vs. Canelo rematch is scheduled for the following Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2023.

Ramirez (44 to 0, 30 KO) is a former super middleweight champion whose record is primarily made up of fluff, including three very poor contests since joining Golden Boy. On May 14, he lost a ridiculous mismatch to Dominic Boesel.

To be fair though, Ramirez has made it clear time and time again that he wants to face Bivol. He had believed that it would be necessary since he did not believe Bivol would obtain the Canelo bout he was seeking. He did, of course, and he made it matter.

The other possibilities are not more desirable, so hopefully, this is what the audience would get. By the end of the year, Bivol will not engage in a unification bout with Artur Beterbiev, who is the WBA, IBF, and WBO champion. Beterbiev is slated to travel to the UK to take against Anthony Yarde, most likely in the final week of October. Other than that, your alternatives are Joshua Buatsi or possibly someone else, but Ramirez is among the strongest real-world contenders for Bivol to face in September or October.

Additionally, starting a battle should be simple. The parties have until August 10 to reach an agreement. They may also call for a purse bid prior to that date, in which case Golden Boy and Matchroom would be the only parties in the running. In either scenario, it is not expected from either party to be hesitant about sending a representative to a rival promoter. Since DAZN is a partner of both businesses, there will not be any broadcast concerns, thus the biggest factor likely will be cost.

Although he might have to wait a bit for the chance, Bivol already has one foot in the door to going uncontested, so it is not expected of him to leave either. He wants to do it, and while he may have to wait for the opportunity, he already has one.

If it falls, this one might not be all that horrible. The World Boxing Organization has mandated that Dmitry Bivol, its light heavyweight champion, face Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, the division’s top contender and unbeaten fighter. The good news in this situation is that Ramirez is represented by Golden Boy, while Bivol is handled by Matchroom. Both of these organizations have relationships with the DAZN streaming service, which should (the crucial word here is “should”) make it simple to arrange this fight. The fighters’ camps have until August 10 to make this fight happen; if they do not, the match will go to purse big, meaning that whoever offers the biggest price will get to advertise it.

Naturally, the 20 to 0 Bivol is feeling well after defeating Canelo Alvarez in May. Canelo attempted to take Bivol’s WBA title, but the veteran titlist easily outboxed the challenger. The victory, it goes without saying, had an impact on the entire sport. Canelo had a clause for a rematch with Bivol, but he chose to first engage in a third fight with his bitter rival Gennady Golovkin. Bivol would undoubtedly appreciate the opportunity to fight Canelo once more, but two significant obstacles lie in the way: Golovkin and Ramirez. The likelihood of a rematch between Canelo and Bivol would unquestionably decrease if one of them fell victim to their skillful opponents.

Ramirez, who is 44 to 0, is without a doubt ecstatic about the chance in front of him. He would add another feather to his cap by defeating the fighter that defeated Canelo. Additionally, since the seasoned Mexican already holds the WBC super-middleweight title, it would grant him a second-world title. He and Bivol are both 31 years old, which is considered to be prime age in this day and age. Zurdo tends to lay out folks in his style. His previous five opponents have all failed to advance past the semifinals. On the other hand, Bivol is a skill set that can walk and talk. Without a doubt, the Russian is one of the sport’s active practitioners with the highest level of skill.

The winner here could face some very significant challenges in the future. After the Golovkin fight this fall, Canelo’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, reportedly made it known that his fighter wanted another shot at Bivol. However, Ramirez might be the opponent Canelo targets after Golovkin if he strips Bivol of his WBC championship.