Dmitry Bivol ethnicity: Where does the top boxer come from?

Entering his 10th undisputed title fight at 21-0, Russian star Dmitry Bivol looks to defend the WBA light heavyweight championship on Dec. 23 against Lyndon Arthur.

Having held the WBA belt since 2017, Bivol has climbed to No.5 on ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings. The Russian gained mainstream attention for upsetting Canelo Alvarez in May 2022.

Though born in an area of the Soviet Union that is now classified as Kyrgyzstan, Bivol now resides in Saint Petersburg, Russia, with his wife and children after moving to the country at the age of 11. However, the undefeated champion also spends a lot of time in the United States to train.

Despite both of his parents being born in the Soviet Union, Bivol does have Korean roots on his maternal side. Yelena Bivol, the mother of the world champion boxer, is an ethnic Korean, leading to her son being multiracial.

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Who is Dmitry Bivol?

At 33 years old, Dmitry Bivol has already put together one of the best boxing careers of all time.

Bivol's biggest claim to fame to this point has been his high-profile title defense against Canelo Alvarez. Despite the betting odds indicating a huge upset, Bivol had already been the WBA light heavyweight champion heading into the fight for five years.

The champion will attempt his 11th consecutive championship victory on Dec. 23 against Lyndon Arthur.

Like many successful boxers, Bivol led into his professional career with a stellar amateur record. The Russian was a multiple-time world champion gold medalist, most notably winning the 2013 World Combat Games in his residential Saint Petersburg.

As a consensus top-10 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Bivol is widely considered the best active light heavyweight. The undefeated boxer is ranked at the top of the division by both BoxRec and ESPN, with the only other potential candidate for the top spot being Artur Beterbiev.

Should Bivol pick up another title defense against Arthur, a super fight with Beterbiev could be on the horizon, with the two circling each other on social media. Beterbiev currently holds the WBC, IBO, and IBF light heavyweight belts.