Dmitry Bivol looked as if he was ready to move on from a trilogy fight with Artur Beterbiev, but it now seems as though the unified light-heavyweight world champion is ready to run it back with his rival, thus opening the door for two Brits to compete for one of his belts.

Bivol claimed the undisputed light-heavyweight crown in February 2025 when he avenged his defeat to Beterbiev with a majority-decision win, but he soon relinquished the WBC marble – which was then handed to David Benavidez.

After 15 months of inactivity, Bivol returned to action in May to fulfil his IBF mandatory and shake off some ring rust against Germany’s Michael Eifertbut it was then believed that Bivol would proceed with his WBO mandatory and next face Liverpool’s Callum Smith, much to the frustration of Beterbiev.

Yet, in an interview with Ring MagazineBivol’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has revealed that the 35-year-old is instead keen for a third fight with the Russian-Canadian. Therefore, he expects Bivol to vacate the WBO world title in order to make it happen, with Smith likely to rematch Joshua Buatsi for the vacant belt.

“I think it’s unlikely he will defend against Smith. I think Smith will fight Joshua Buatsi for the vacant title. But Dmitry is ready to make the Beterbiev fight.”

Smith decisioned Buatsi on the Beterbiev-Bivol II undercard in a Fight of the Year contender and Smith is yet to fight since, whilst Buatsi was seen as fortunate by some to get the decision when he returned and fought Zach Parker in November.

Smith and Buatsi could be set to top the bill of the second ‘Matchroom vs Queensberry’ event, which will likely take place in November.

Former world champion Hasim Rahman believes that, in any era of heavyweight boxing, one man would solidify himself at the top of the tree.

‘The Rock’ is best known for his monumental upset victory over Lennox Lewis in 2001when a stunning fifth-round finish saw him claim the WBC and IBF titles.

Before their heavyweight encounter, many had questioned the logic behind Lewis’ training camp in Las Vegas, given that he was to defend his titles in South Africa.

Not only that, but ‘The Lion’ afforded himself little time to adjust to the African nation’s high altitude, with his performance ultimately reflecting a lack of preparation.

Lewis did, however, manage to produce a much improved display in their immediate rematch, reclaiming his titles with a ruthless fourth-round stoppage.

As a result, Rahman has since named his former foe as the greatest heavyweight of all time, above the likes of Muhammad AliJack Dempsey and Rocky Marciano.

Unlike those three all-time greats, Rahman told BBC Radio 5 Livethat Lewis not only possessed impeccable ring intelligence but could also utilise his physical attributes to a much greater extent than others.

“I’m finding it hard to put somebody ahead of him. In any era … I just really don’t know who could beat him.

“[Ali, Dempsey, Marciano…] Those guys were too small. I mean, Ali was too small for George Foreman back then, when he was a smaller version of Big George, so how could he deal with someone like Lennox – who is huge and can move, and can use his distance well?

“I think it’s really unfair to compare eras, but I just don’t know who could deal with that man.”

Lewis was a three-time world heavyweight champion, and up until Oleksandr Usyk repeated the feat in 2024, was the last undisputed heavyweight champion following his win over Evander Holyfield in 1999.

After defeating Rahman, Lewis also scored an eighth-round finish over Mike Tyson and ended his illustrious career by stopping Vitali Klitschko in six rounds.

Dmitry Bivol has been linked to a number of opponents since defeating Michael Eifert, but it seems as though there is only one man whom the Russian intends to face – avoiding a fight with a former world champion in the process.

Bivol claimed the undisputed light-heavyweight crown when he avenged his solitary career defeat to Artur Beterbiev with a majority-decision triumph in February 2025, until a 15-month period of inactivity saw him forego his WBC world title.

Upon his return, in May, Bivol shook off the ring rust by fulfilling his IBF mandatory and defending his three remaining world titles against Eifert in Russia, before rumours that the 35-year-old would swerve a trilogy against Beterbiev emerged.

However, in an interview with FightHypepromoter Eddie Hearn denied those suggestions and revealed that it is the Beterbiev fight which Bivol wants most.

“There’s a lot of people saying, ‘Bivol doesn’t want to fight Beterbiev.’ That’s not true at all.”

“Dmitry wants the trilogy. That’s the fight he wants. We’ll start those conversations and see what happens.”

It had been understood that Bivol would instead take on former WBA super-middleweight world champion and current WBO 175lb mandatory challenger Callum Smith – once the Russian had recovered from an elbow surgery which is set to take place later this month.

Yet, Hearn went on to explain that he now expects Smith to rematch Joshua Buatsi in a clash for the vacant WBO light-heavyweight world title, after Bivol has relinquished the belt.

“I think Callum Smith will probably end up boxing Joshua Buatsi for the vacant world title if that’s the route it goes.

“We’ll see how everything plays out, but Dmitry wants the Beterbiev fight.”

As a result, it seems as though Bivol-Beterbiev III could be back on the cards for later this year, with the WBA and IBF light-heavyweight marbles at stake.

Meanwhile, Smith-Buatsi II could headline a mooted ‘Matchroom vs. Queensberry 2’ bill in either October or November, nearly two years on from their first battle which was won by Smith after a Fight of the Year contender.