Dmitry Bivol Steps Into The Spotlight
Dmitry Bivol told anyone who would listen that he was looking to impress in his Showtime debut. After a 4th round stoppage with three knockdowns along the way, it’s safe to say he succeeded. He made quick work of a good fighter in Samuel Clarkson, displaying fluid boxing skills, real power, and a killer instinct to smell blood and go for the kill. After the fight, Bivol told reporters ringside, “I’m very happy that I won by knockout. It seems everybody’s happy, I hope they got what they wanted to see.”
Any questions Bivol’s ability to translate his obvious skills at a higher level were answered within the first minute of the fight. The Kyrgyz-turned-Russian fighter hurt Clarkson with a sneaky right to the body and then put him down with a left hook to the temple. Clarkson seemed surprised to have been blitzed so early, looking at his corner in disbelief. After he managed to recover somewhat, Bivol again dropped him, this time even harder, with a wicked straight right near the end of the round.
The second and third rounds saw Bivol dial it back a bit after realizing a stoppage wasn’t imminent. Clarkson caught him with a shot or two as he left himself exposed going for the kill, and he very quickly adapted his approach to be somewhat less reckless. Nonetheless he boxed beautifully, landing sharp shots and pressuring Clarkson into constant backpedaling.
When the fourth round began, Clarkson clearly had a different game plan in mind than he used for the first three. He immediately took the fight to the center of the ring, attempting to pressure Bivol into fighting on the back foot. Sadly for him, Bivol adjusted well and dropped some slick combos that stopped him in his tracks. And then, just like that, Bivol landed a hard shot to Clarkson’s temple that put the Texan down. After staggering to his feet near the end of referee Harvey Dock’s count, the fight was waved off. Bivol had exactly what he wanted: a stoppage win, and a fantastic performance before American fans.
Bivol is fascinating to watch because he displays some very atypical tendencies for a Soviet-bloc fighter. He boxes with a fluidity and a speed that’s very unlike the ramrod-straight posture many of his countrymen use. He shows surprising skill and innovation in changing levels frequently, firing off sharp combinations that move up and down with ease. And while he clearly has serious power in both hands, he’s not a guy who looks like he’s trying to knock down a brick wall with each punch.
However his style may have come about, it’s clearly very effective. Now the Russian will turn his attention to Britain’s Nathan Cleverly, holder of the WBA’s “regular” light heavyweight title. After the fight, Bivol said he wants him next and wants it to be on Showtime. When asked about other fights he might want if Cleverly can’t get made, he responded, “I’ll fight anybody, but right now I have to finish the business I started with the WBA belt and I want to make sure I have the regular belt.”
If that fight does, in fact, get made it could catapult Bivol into the very crowded ranks of top fighters at 175. A win over Cleverly would put him on a collision course with the true elites of the division, including potentially the winner of Ward-Kovalev II or lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson.
Regardless, it’s clear that we have yet another excellent Soviet-bloc light heavyweight on our hands, prompting Showtime ringside scorer Steve Farhood to ask, “What, is the supply endless?” It may not be endless, but Kovalev, Beterbiev, Gvozdyk and others now certainly have company in Dmitry Bivol. And at just 26 years of age, he might keep them company for a good long time.
