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.

Oleksandr Usyk is set to fight on one more occasion before hanging up the gloves, promising to have a ‘last dance’ as he calls time on an astounding career. Now, the Ukrainian has revealed that there are only two current candidates under consideration to be his final opponent.

Usyk claimed the undisputed crown at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, with a historic win over Tyson Fury seeing the southpaw technician become the first to simultaneously hold all of the recognised heavyweight world titles in the four-belt era.

An underwhelming performance against Rico Verhoeven last time out though appears to have convinced the 39-year-old that his powers are fading and that it is time to walk away from the sport.

Speaking with Daily Mail BoxingUsyk announced that his ‘last dance’ will take place against a ‘big name’ in the United States.

“‘Last Dance’ is [going to be in the] U.S.A. maybe in New York, [in a] stadium. It’s [going to be against] a big name.”

The veteran was then asked to define whom he believes to be ‘big names’ amongst his heavyweight rivals, with Fury and Deontay Wilder being the only two he’s interested in fighting next.

“[Big names are] ‘Greedy Belly’ [Tyson Fury] and Deontay Wilder. We work about this.”

Recent reports suggest that Usyk and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ could collide in a clash for the Zuffa Boxing heavyweight world title. Usyk did not confirm or deny this, admitting that his mind is currently focused on boxing training rather than boxing.

“I cannot say about this [whether I will fight under the Zuffa banner] because now my team work about my next fight. It’s Zuffa, [then it’s] not Zuffa.

“Now, I [do] not think about boxing. I think about training for boxing; cardio? Of course. Cross-fight? Of course. Swimming pool? No. Sauna? Yes. Rest, time with my family, with my child.”

Usyk also went on to state that his career finale will not take place until December at the earliest, with Fury expected to take on Anthony Joshua the month prior – thus making Wilder the likely candidate.

Terence Crawford retired in December last year, hanging up the gloves as an undefeated five-weight world champion.

The switch-hitter from Omaha, Nebraska, bowed out from boxing after a stellar win over Mexican icon Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, relinquishing the undisputed super-middleweight world title.

At 38 years old, perhaps the biggest fight available for Crawford was a Canelo rematch, though he said he was never approached about the bout. The American has made it clear that fights with rising stars like Jaron Ennis would do nothing for his legacy, hence his retirement.

There was, however, one route ‘Bud’ was exploring before making the final decision. Speaking on The Breakfast ClubCrawford reflecting on almost booking a fight against Janibek Alimkhanuly before the Kazakh champion failed a doping test.

“Every fight that I fought since 2014 has been for something. Either I’m defending my title, or I’m going to conquer another division for a title … [I said] I’m gonna beat Canelo and I’m gonna see what they do down here [at 154]. Then it came out that Janibek was on performance enhancers. So, that fight got cancelled. I think they stripped him for a title. I’m into making history … but it didn’t [play out like that].”

Alimkhanuly tested positive for a banned substance in December last year before his middleweight unification fight against Erislandy Lara. He has since been stripped of the IBF belt, though he is controversially still the WBO champion despite a year’s ban from the sanctioning body.

With the plans not playing out in Crawford’s favour, middleweight will remain the one skipped division from 135 to 168lbs.