Dmitry Bivol reveals the boxing legend that had the biggest influence on his career

There are very few boxers in the world who truly seem untouchable and unbeatable. As it stands, Dmitry Bivol is one of those few. With a 23-0 record and a constant stream of dominant wins, particularly over the past few years, Bivol has seen his stardom rise sharply. That has been especially true since his stunning showing against Canelo Alvarez in May of 2022.

Canelo moved up in weight for that fight, but it was incredible to see just how technically proficient and smart Bivol was in that bout. But now, Bivol will face arguably the toughest test of his career. Gunning for undisputed glory, Bivol will face Artur Beterbiev, who is 20-0 with 20 knockouts. With the fight just a couple of days away, the spotlight has been on the always reserved Bivol.

Roy Jones Jr is the reason Dmitry Bivol became a boxer

In a recent interview with BoxingScene, Bivol revealed some personal details about his boxing career. Specifically, he spoke about the one fighter who made him pursue a career in boxing: Roy Jones Jr.

If it wasn't for Roy Jones, maybe I would not be here, because I learned from, and enjoyed, his fights. I watched him and enjoyed how light he was in the ring, how much he enjoyed being in the ring. It was a joy for him to be in there. He was not just going in there to survive, was not working hard, having drama. No, he was enjoying the fight. I liked seeing this.

Jones somewhat diminished his career by fighting until the age of 49 - and even had a fight at 54 years old against MMA fighter Anthony Pettis. But it's easy to forget that Jones took a 49-1 record into age 35. He won tons of titles across several different weight classes, but it was light heavyweight where he truly made his mark and became undisputed.

Bivol is eyeing that same glory in the same weight class. He has all of the tools to pull it off, but he will need to be extra cautious against the dangerous Beterbiev.