Dmitry Bivol is a name you should get used to hearing. Despite a stellar record (16-0, 11 KO) and label as the heir apparent to the retired Andre Ward (more on that later), Bivol is largely unknown outside of boxing circles. That will change as soon as Saturday, Oct. 12 in Chicago when all eyes will be on the 28-year-old, newly crowned WBA “super” champion as he takes on Lenin Castillo (20-2-1) as the main draw of a card that will still be Oleksandr Usyk’s heavyweight debut despite his scheduled opponent (Tyrone Spong) being disqualified.
Let’s get to know this soft-spoken, family man in our latest Tales of the Tape.
He’s Half-Korean
Bivol’s culturally ambiguous look comes from his biracial roots. His mom is Korean and his father is Moldovan. Born in Krygyzstan and raised in St. Petersberg, the 28-year-old’s unique heritage has made him a fan favorite around the world.
According to MSN, Bivol is scheduled to travel to South Korea after the Oct. 12th fight with his advisor Kathy Duva. “I’m going to have some meetings there,” Duva told MSN. “Bivol’s mother is Korean, so (the sponsors) are very interested in him for that reason. We’re going there to talk about bringing Bivol to fight there next year.”
He forced Andre Ward to retirement (maybe)
Okay, we’re kidding. But, Andre Ward was the one to bring it up. In a fascinating HBO interview clip, Chasing Greatness with Andre Ward: Dmitry Bivol, the past, and future of the light heavyweight division talk about the sweet science and what could have been.
“Some people say that he’s (Bivol) the one that could dominate the light heavyweight division now that I’m gone,” Ward narrates. The undefeated future Hall-of-Famer later addresses a hot take going around. “I want to talk about the elephant in the room,” asks Ward towards the end of the sit-down. “I read an article somewhere where somebody said you were the reason that I retired.”
Bivol responds with a respectful smirk, and the two tease a potential “what if” fight.
He loves him some Jackie Chan
Bivol got into combat sports because he wanted to be like the Drunken Master. “When I was young my family loved to watch movies with Jackie Chan,” Bivol told HBO. “I wanted to do the same like Jackie.” Perhaps this is a hint to Bivol’s post boxing career?
He started out as a Karate Kid
Bivol followed in his childhood hero’s footsteps, taking up karate, but his combat sports path took a hard right (literally) when he noticed that the local gym had more boxing tournaments than karate ones, which meant the chance at winning more hardware. “I wanted to get more medals, I counted them every time I got one,” Bivol recalled to Boxing Insider. The fighting phenom would go onto build quite a collection, racking up 60 medals in a stellar amateur career (268- 15 record) highlighted by two junior world titles.
He’s a big “Sugar Ray” fan
Sorry, Mark McGrath, but Bivol is a big fan of the boxing great, not “Every Morning.” At around six years of age, Bivol remembers watching his first fight, a Mike Tyson bout, but it was the swift-footed, boxing Hall-of-Famer who captured his heart. “I love to watch fights with Sugar Ray Leonard before my fights. Bivol revealed to ESPN. “I learn from his fights. I also like to watch Gennady Golovkin, Vasyl Lomachenko, Terence Crawford and Manny Pacquaio, but my favorite is Sugar Ray Leonard.”
