Of all the people Dmitry Bivol is thinking about ahead of his undisputed light-heavyweight world title fight against Artur Beterbiev, his ex-wife is probably not one of them – or at least he could have hoped so.
The eyes of the boxing world will once again be on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this weekend as the Russian duo face off for the first time in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year.
Undefeated records are on the line, as well as a chance to become the top dog of the light heavyweight division, and at this stage of the late preparations it’s all about blocking out distractions.
However, that could prove to be a more difficult task for Bivol, who has seen his ex-wife Ekaterina reveal alleged ‘secrets’ about his physical condition online in the lead-up to Saturday’s post.
Bivol and his former partner shared a marriage of more than 10 years, tying the knot in October 2013 after falling for each other as youngsters.
Russian fighters Dmitry Bivol (right) and Artur Beterbiev (left) fight to become the undisputed light-heavyweight champion
Bivol’s ex-wife Ekaterina (left) claims to have revealed ‘secrets about her husband’s injuries
Ekaterina – who also goes by Kate – first met her ex-husband on a flight in 2007, long before Bivol’s boxing career took off, and from there a romance began to blossom as the Russian fighter began to climb the ranks ranking.
The apparently loved-up couple had two boys together, Miron and Nikon, and seemed to be the ideal nuclear family before announcing they were splitting last year amid domestic violence allegations.
Ekaterina Bivol publicly claimed that her husband beat her, told her to have an abortion and was almost killed by her mother-in-law, all in separate Instagram updates.
‘And this is how this ended… MY DAD TOLD I HIT MYSELF!!!! You are all scum!! DAD PREVENTED ME [FROM GOING] to the police… May 3, 2023. The children have seen everything!’ she posted online at the time.
Bivol is trying to become undisputed champion after beating Mexican legend Canelo Alvarez (right) in May
Ekaterina shared a photo of injuries she said her ex-husband had inflicted on her
‘And this is me, a hapless psychopath. After your mother played, I lost eight kilos in two weeks. Have you [feel] do you pity me, the mother of your children and grandchildren?’ Ekaterina added.
She later also voiced complaints about Bivol’s financial neglect of their children, stating that he only pays “$1,100 a month for both children” after Ekaterina was awarded custody.
Bivol or his camp have yet to issue an update following last year’s allegations.
Amid the toxic fallout from serious allegations of domestic violence, a situation has emerged where, on the eve of Bivol’s attempt to become the first undisputed light-heavyweight champion of the world since boxing legend Roy Jones Jr., people are once again being reminded of events outside the world. ring.
In another social media post, Ekaterina backed his opponent, Beterbiev, to claim ultimate glory, and tried to provide him with inside information in an attempt to help him.
Ekaterina wants to see her ex-husband lose after previously reacting to his actions in a series of social media posts
Bivol and his ex-wife share two children during their marriage, Nikon (left) and Miron
Last year, Ekaterina – whose biography on the social media platform includes the hashtag #cancelbivol – once again shared on Instagram, calling her ex-husband a “coward” and explaining personal weaknesses about his condition.
Ekaterina had been in a relationship with the fighter for most of his career and seemed to reveal everything about her former husband’s physical and mental state.
“I want to tell you everything I know: he has a stress fracture of a vertebra in his back, all his hands have been operated on and not just once, one elbow for sure, very painful knees, his left ear is constantly swelling,” Ekaterina wrote.
‘It has been broken many times and fluid has often built up in his eye, which sometimes prevents him from seeing properly. But most importantly, he’s a coward! We need your victory, Arthur.”
Whether Beterbiev’s camp will heed her advice remains to be seen, but both fighters will have been looking for every possible chink in their opponent’s armor with everything at stake.
In reality, there is little to divide the boxer who arrives in Riyadh with perfect professional records. Beterbiev, who boasts a perfect record of 20 knockouts in his 20 fights, while Bivol recently defeated Mexican legend Canelo Alvarez.
Bivol will have to be at his best to withstand the onslaught that Beterbiev is undoubtedly about to throw at him
Bivol (left) is the small underdog who takes on a fierce, undefeated opponent
Beterbiev is the slight favorite to come out on top in the fight and told Mail Sport exclusively in Riyadh: “I give Bivol the respect he deserves.”
“We prepare for him like he’s a good boxer. He has good experience and he is a professional boxer who holds one belt, so I have to respect that.
‘We are of course prepared. We are prepared for different things and whatever he comes at me with. We will see what happens on Saturday evening,” Beterbiev added.
Everything will be settled in Riyadh on Saturday evening, but if Bivol is to secure a historic career victory over his Russian rival, he will have to overcome dramatic setbacks to do so.