Dmitry Bivol can safely say he is one of the best light-heavyweight boxers in the world.
Throughout his 24 professional fights, Bivol’s stock has increased, taking on huge names like Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and conquering them.
Bivol faces his stiffest test yet when he rematches Artur Beterbiev for undisputed light heavyweight gold at ‘The Last Crescendo’ on February 22. Beterbiev bested Bivol by a majority decision in October 2024.
Bivol has grown to have a brilliant career and is ranked the world’s eighth-best pound-for-pound fighter by BoxRec.
So, without further ado, let’s examine the life of one of the sport’s most active members.
- READ MORE: Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol winner to face hard-punching cruiserweight world champion
Dmitry Bivol age, height, weight, reach, stance
Dmitry Bivol was born on 18 December 1990, making him 34 at the time of writing. He currently stands at 1.83m, which is six feet exactly. His reach is also 1.83m, or 72 inches, in other metrics
Bivol weighed 175 lbs for his last fight against Bivol.
Dmitry Bivol place of birth, family, wife, Korea
Bivol was born in what is today Kyrgyzstan, which was part of the former Soviet Union, before moving to Saint Petersburg, Russia, at the age of 11.
His father was born in the country known as Moldova today, while his mother is an ethnic Korean who was born in the country known as Kazakhstan today.
Nowadays, Bivol trains in South California, but he still spends the rest of his days living in Saint Petersburg.
Dmitry Bivol nickname
Most fighters have a nickname, but Bivol is only known by his full name and has no nickname.
Dmitry Bivol Instagram and X accounts
Bivol can be found on Instagram at the handle @bivol_d. He has 1.9m followers at present.
He can be found on X at the same handle as @bivol_d, where he has a follower count of 70.8k at the time of writing.
Dmitry Bivol net worth
As per Marca in May 2024, Bivol’s net worth reportedly stands at $10m.
On average, he earns $1.9m from each fight, with his largest payday coming in his win against Canelo Alvarez, where he pocketed $5m.
Furthermore, he earns extra money through sponsorships such as BoxRaw, a company where he has his own range.
Dmitry Bivol stats
As per BoxRec, Bivol has fought professionally 24 times, winning 23, 12 of them by knockout. His one loss is to Beterbiev.
He is also ranked as the number one Russian boxer and the number three light heavyweight in the world.
| Number of fights | 24 |
| Number of fights won | 23 |
| Number of fights won by knockout | 12 |
| Knockout-to-win percentage | 52.17% |
Dmitry Bivol amateur record
After beginning his boxing career at age six, Bivol regularly tested himself against older opponents and won two world championships at the U17 level, as well as a bronze medal at the 2008 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in the middleweight divisions.
He also became the Russian national boxing champion at light-heavyweight in 2012 and 2014 and finished his amateur days with a record of 268 wins and 15 defeats.
Dmitry Bivol early professional career
The 34-year-old turned professional in 2014, winning all six of his first fights by knockout.
His first title came when he beat Felix Valera on 21 May 2016 to win the interim WBA light-heavyweight title.
He then defended his title against Robert Berridge and Samuel Clarkson before trying to face WBA champion Nathan Cleverly.
Bivol was the mandatory challenger, but the WBA allowed Cleverly to face Badou Jack instead. He subsequently lost to Jack, but instead of fighting Bivol, he vacated his belt and handed the Russian the title.
Dmitry Bivol vs Trent Broadhurst
After being elevated to full WBA champion, Bivol was scheduled to fight Trent Broadhurst on 4 November 2017 as part of an optional defense.
Many were left puzzled by the decision, with many fighters ranked higher than Broadhurst also being available, with Sullivan Barrera voicing his concerns on Twitter.
Bivol was victorious with a first-round knockout after a clean right-hand.
Dmitry Bivol vs Sullivan Barrera
As the WBA’s president, Gilberto Mendoza, promised, Bivol met Barrera on March 3, 2018, his biggest test.
The fight looked set to go the full 12 rounds until the Russian put an end with just over a minute to go as he landed a right hand that sent the Cuban down to the canvas.
It was one of Bivol’s best performances as he outboxed and outfought his opponent despite suffering a cut above the right eye in the early rounds.
Dmitry Bivol vs Gilbert Lenin Castillo
Two days before facing Gilbert Lenin Castillo, Bivol was elevated to full WBA (Super) light heavyweight champion.
Facing him on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs Chazz Witherspoon on 12 October 2019 in Chicago, Bivol dropped Castillo in the sixth round to earn himself a convincing unanimous win.
Dmitry Bivol vs Canelo Alvarez
Canelo vs. Bivol was the first pay-per-view offering in the United States and Canada on DAZN, scheduled for 7 May 2022.
There had been some doubts about whether it would be allowed to go ahead as three of the four boxing world governing bodies had blocked championship fights involving Russian and Belarusian boxers in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Bivol was allowed to fight after the WBA allowed the bout to proceed. He entered as an underdog, but he shocked the world with his unanimous decision win.
Some media outlets were confused by one of the judges’ decisions to award Canelo the first four rounds.
The Mexican was outraged by the result and recently confirmed that Bivol is the only opponent he would consider facing off against in a rematch.
Dmitry Bivol vs Gilberto Ramirez
The WBA ordered Bivol to fight former super middleweight WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez, rejecting his request to fight Joshua Buatsi instead.
After the pair disagreed on a deal, Bivol was given a 75 percent share of the purse bid.
Fighting in the United Arab Emirates on 5 November 2022, Bivol defended his title with a unanimous win.
It was the icing on the cake of a perfect year for Bivol, who was awarded the 2022 The Ring “Fighter of the Year” prize.
Dmitry Bivol vs Lyndon Arthur
Due to the ongoing sanctions against Russian and Belarusian fighters, Bivol was unable to face Beterbiev. He was forced to take on IBO light heavyweight champion Lyndon Arthur.
Fighting on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card between Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin on 23 December 2023, Bivol dominated the bout, with all three judges scoring the fight 120–107 in his favor.
He even knocked down Arthur and never looked back.
Dmitry Bivol vs Malik Zanid
Malik Zinad was forced to step in and fight Bivol following Beterbiev’s decision to withdraw from their fight on 3 May 2024 due to a meniscus injury suffered.
Zinad stepped in but was no match. He was beaten by Bivol by TKO, setting up the chance to finally face Beterbiev.
Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev
After years of waiting, Beterbiev and Bivol met in the main event of ‘IV Crown Showdown’ in October 2024. The two technicians fought to a decision, where Beterbiev edged the result on the scorecards, securing a majority decision.
The stakes, with undisputed status on the line, couldn’t have been higher. Despite this, neither fighter was hurt or visibly rocked across the five rounds.
Beterbiev and Bivol rematch in the main event of ‘The Last Cescendo’ on February 22, 2025. The winner takes it all.