Of all the people Dmitry Bivol is thinking about ahead of his undisputed light heavyweight world title fight against Artur Beterbiev, his ex-wife probably isn’t one of them – or at least he’d hoped not.
The eyes of the boxing world will once again be on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this weekend as the Russian duo square off for the first time in one of the most anticipated fights of the year.
Unbeaten records are on the line, as is a chance to become the top favorite in the light heavyweight division, and at this stage of the late preparations it’s all about blocking out distractions.
That could prove a tougher task for Bivol, however, who has seen his ex-wife Ekaterina reveal alleged “secrets” about his fitness online in the lead-up to Saturday’s post.
Bivol and his former partner were married for more than 10 years, having wed in October 2013 after falling for each other as boys.
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.
The seemingly smitten couple had two boys together, Miron and Nikon, and seemed to be the ideal nuclear family before announcing their split last year amid allegations of domestic abuse.
Ekaterina Bivol publicly claimed her husband beat her, told her to have an abortion and was nearly murdered by her mother-in-law, all in separate Instagram updates.
‘And this is how it ended… MY FATHER SAID I HIT MYSELF!!!! Y’all are scum!! “DADDY STOPPED ME FROM GOING [TO] THE POLICE… May 3, 2023. The kids saw everything!” she posted online at the time.
Bivol is attempting to become undisputed champion after defeating Mexican legend Canelo Alvarez (right) in May
Ekaterina shared a photo of injuries inflicted on her by her ex-husband
“And this is me, an unhappy psychopath. After playing your mother, I lost eight kilos in two weeks. Do you [feel] sorry for 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 granted custody.
Neither Bivol nor his camp have provided an update on the allegations made last year.
Amid the toxic fallout from serious domestic abuse allegations, a situation has arisen where, on the eve of Bivol’s bid 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 ring.
In another social media post, Ekaterina supported her opponent, Beterbiev, in her bid to claim ultimate glory and attempted to provide him with insider information in a bid to help him.
Ekaterina wants her ex-husband to lose after she previously responded to his actions in a series of social media posts
Bivol and his ex-wife have two children during their marriage, Nikon (left) and Miron
Last year, Ekaterina – whose bio on the social media platform includes the hashtag #cancelbivol – shared another Instagram post, calling her ex-husband a “coward” and explaining personal weaknesses about his condition.
Ekaterina was in a relationship with the fighter for most of his career and seemed to reveal everything about her ex-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 once, but certainly one elbow, very painful knees, his left ear is constantly swelling,” Ekaterina wrote.
“It has been broken several times and fluid has often accumulated in his eye, which sometimes makes it difficult for him to see. But most importantly, he is 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 armour, with everything at stake.
In reality, there is little difference between 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 will undoubtedly fire at him
Bivol (left) is the slight underdog taking on a fierce, undefeated opponent
Beterbiev is the slight favourite to emerge victorious and told Mail Sport exclusively in Riyadh: “I give Bivol the respect he deserves.”
“We are preparing for him as if he were a good boxer. He has a lot of experience and he is a professional boxer who has one belt, so I have to respect that.
‘We are prepared of course. We are prepared for different things and whatever he throws at me. We will see what happens on Saturday night,” Beterbiev added.
Everything will be sorted out on Saturday night in Riyadh, but if Bevel is to secure a historic career win over his Russian rival, he will have to overcome dramatic setbacks to do so.