ARTUR Beterbiev continues to pile the pressure on Dmitry Bivol, urging his light-heavyweight rival to sign on the dotted line.<\/p>\n
Their first two encounters, which delivered equally compelling 12-round battles, saw identical majority decision verdicts level the score at 1-1.<\/p>\n
It was Bivol, 24-1 (12 KOs), however, who came away from their showdown in February with all four major belts at 175lbs, only for him to then be stripped of his undisputed status.<\/p>\n
As a result, David Benavidez has since been elevated from interim to full WBC world champion, while Bivol, quite rightly, is still widely regarded as the bona fide king of his division.<\/p>\n
Beterbiev, 21-1 (20 KOs), meanwhile, remains determined to exact his revenge, and while talks of their third fight have gone radio silent in recent weeks, it now seems that a new player has joined the negotiating table.<\/p>\n
It is IBA president Umar Kremlev, in fact, who appears eager to stage their trilogy clash in Russia<\/a>, the home nation of both combatants, towards the end of this year.<\/p>\n Although discredited as the leading body of amateur boxing, the International Boxing Association (IBA) now aims to become a major promotional outfit in the professional ranks.<\/p>\n In a bid to accelerate the process, Kremlev has reportedly held talks with political figures in Russia, hoping to secure Bivol and Beterbiev\u2019s rubber match.<\/p>\n And now, it appears that he is close to doing just that, with the IBA boss posting a video of himself on FaceTime with Beterbiev.<\/p>\n On Instagram<\/a>, Kremlev wrote: \u201cAll conditions have been created. We are waiting for the boxers\u2019 agreement!\u201d<\/p>\n Previously, Beterbiev had\u00a0accused Bivol of delaying negotiations<\/a>, suggesting that such tactics were designed to catch him at the right time, just as he progresses even further beyond his prime years.<\/p>\n