Dmitry Bivol says he is not concerned with Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez’s bullish comments ahead of their historic world title clash in Abu Dhabi in November – adding only that he will “do everything” to defeat his rival and keep hold of his belt.
The unbeaten Russian, 31, puts his WBA light-heavyweight crown on the line in the headline bout at Etihad Arena on November 5 in the first "Champions Series" event of the recently signed agreement between the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and renowned promotion Matchroom Boxing. The two entities announced a long-term partnership last week, marking Abu Dhabi’s move into staging major boxing events.
Bivol-Ramirez is a suitably high-profile match-up to launch the collaboration, pitting against one another two unbeaten fighters. Bivol, who makes the ninth defence of the title he claimed almost five years ago, is yet to taste defeat in 20 professional bouts (11 knockouts), while Ramirez has not been beaten in 44 appearances (30 KOs).
Bivol goes into the contest the favourite having in May retained his crown against pound-for-pound No 1 Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, when he triumphed in Las Vegas by unanimous decision.
However, that has not stopped Ramirez from talking up his own chances of an upset, with the Mexican for some time calling out Bivol. A former WBO champion at super-middleweight, Ramirez is 5-0 since moving up to 175lbs, with all five wins coming via knockout. His May victory against Dominic Boesel elevated Ramirez to the WBA's mandatory challenger.
“He talks too much,” Bivol told The National. “It’s not bothering me, but I’m just thinking about why he talks too much? We can just make a fight. It’s not good for people who talk, talk, talk.
“But we’re all different. I try to be focus only on his boxing skills and I try to think only about the fight, and not about him as a person, if he’s a good or bad person. It doesn’t matter. He’s a fighter; he’s my enemy on November 5.”
For many ranked among the top 10 best pound-for-pound men’s boxers in the world, Bivol said he is looking forward to the challenge provided by Ramirez, who is physically much bigger. Ramirez reportedly weighed 204lbs going into his fourth-round knockout win against Boesel.
Belief, though, in the Bivol camp is high, especially following that victory against Canelo Alvarez four months ago.
“Of course, I feel confidence now,” Bivol said. “But I felt confident before. Not too many things change inside me in terms of that. My confidence depends on my trainings, on my coach who tells me if I was good or bad in the sparring sessions - this means much more to me.
“I’m just glad that I have a fight soon after the Canelo fight. And I’m glad that I have a good opponent. He has a lot of experience. He’s not the usual boxer, he’s taller than usual boxer, bigger. He’s southpaw. So it’s an interesting fight for me.
“Every fight is dangerous for me. Because every fighter has some good points. He has too. We’ll see if it will be dangerous or not. We will see how the fight will be. But I think he will move forward and will try to use his size.”
Bivol should expect to enjoy the majority of support at Etihad Arena come fight night given its proximity to his homeland, something he says could either work in his favour or against him.
“It’s a little bit harder for me, more responsibility maybe, but I’ll try to be focused only on the fight,” he said. “I have to use it as an advantage. I have to use everything to be an advantage.
“Even when I fought against Canelo, everybody supported him and I used it as an advantage for me. I try to see everything in my favour, that it helps me.”
Should Bivol emerge victorious against Ramirez, it seems certain a rematch with Alvarez next year - potentially in Abu Dhabi - or an undisputed bout against unified light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, will be next.
Yet Bivol emphasised that he is not looking past his upcoming rival, saying: “Every time I have a fight I’m focused only on that. Of course, I have great plans in my head: I want to be the best fighter in the world, I want to get more belts. But now I have a big fight against a good fighter. I try to be focused only on November 5.”
On topping the bill on such a momentous occasion in the capital, Bivol said: “For sure, I’m happy that I can be the main event of this historic evening. I believe I’m the first fighter who defends his title in Abu Dhabi. It’s great. I’m looking forward to showing my skills in Abu Dhabi, for all the United Arab Emirates.”
As to what fans can expect on November 5, he added: “I don’t know. Only God knows what will happen. But I will try to do all my best to make people glad to see this fight.
“I’ll do everything keep my belt, to beat my opponent, and to make all my fans happy.”
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo and dual electric motors
Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.0L/100km
Price: from Dh199,900
On sale: now
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Key facilities
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars
The specs: 2018 Dodge Durango SRT
Price, base / as tested: Dh259,000
Engine: 6.4-litre V8
Power: 475hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 640Nm @ 4,300rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
SPECS
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
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- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
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The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
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Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
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Year started: 2018
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Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
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Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
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If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
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Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
england euro squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
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Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
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Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
