'Likely that it will be against Joshua Buatsi' - Eddie Hearn on Dmitry Bivol's next fight

Eddie Hearn recently discussed Dmitry Bivol's potential next opponent, while Canelo Alvarez is set to compete in the trilogy against Gennadiy Golovkin. The Matchroom Boxing promoter has revealed that Bivol will 'likely' defend his WBA (Super) Light Heavyweight Title against Joshua Buatsi.

With Hearn also suggesting that Bivol could face the winner of Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr, Buatsi looks like the most likely candidate.

The Brit has just come off the back of a huge domestic clash against Chris Richards, where he won by unanimous decision. Buatsi is now looking to capitalize on Canelo's fight with 'GGG' by taking the opportunity to win a world title.

Buatsi's promoter Hearn recently spoke with iFL TV, where he said:

"The fight that we would like to make is Joshua Buatsi [against Dmitry Bivol]. That's the fight we'll be pushing for September/October."

Hearn then went on to say:

"I've spoken to Joshua Buatsi, I've spoken to 258 [Management], I've spoken to Virgil Hunter. They are happy and ready to go straight into the Dmitry Bivol fight in September/October whenever that fight is. If Dmitry is going to make a voluntary defense, I think it's very likely that it will be against Joshua Buatsi."

With a potential matchup for a huge world title fight between the two light-heavyweights, Hearn was also open to the idea of it being set in the UK.

The contest likely won't face too many difficulties to make due to Buatsi being Hearn's fighter and the circumstances of Bivol's delayed rematch with Canelo. There also wouldn't be a networking issue because it would be shown on DAZN.

Watch Hearn's full interview here:

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Is Joshua Buatsi ready for Dmitry Bivol next?

Buatsi may feel like he still has some improvements to make if he wants to compete with Bivol. However, this might be his best chance of securing a title shot and he presumably won't want to wait around for over a year if he misses this opportunity.

The Brit is also 29 years old now and will feel as though time is ticking to lock down a world title fight.

The former Olympian has never tasted defeat in his professional career. A matchup with the Russian will undoubtedly be the toughest fight of his career.

Buatsi will hope for a world title fight to be showcased in his home country, where he will receive a huge boost from his home crowd. The Brit still holds an 81.25% knockout rate, which gives him a significant chance of securing a victory against the current champion.

Watch Buatsi vs. Richards here: