Dmitry Bivol is ready to return to Atlantic City for another HBO fight, but this time, it looks like Bivol will be the main event.
The young WBA light heavyweight champion will defend his world title against former champion Jean Pascal. The fight will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City on November 24 and it will be televised on HBO.
The card is currently one of the network?s last boxing cards before the start of 2019 when HBO previously stated that it will no longer do regular boxing broadcasts. It will also mark the second time this year that HBO not only returns to Atlantic City but also return to the Hard Rock.
The last time the network went there for a boxing card was in early August when Bivol retained his title against Isaac Chilemba in the co-main event. Eleider Alvarez defeated Sergey Kovalev to win the WBO light heavyweight title in the main event of that card, ending the network?s hopes of having a unification fight between Kovalev and Bivol at the end of the year.
Bivol became the sole WBA champion after previously being the organization?s interim champion. A little more than a year ago, Andre Ward, who was the ?super? champion at the time, retired and Badou Jack, the WBA?s ?regular? champion, vacated his belt to pursue the WBC title. This meant Bivol was elevated to full champion and is making his third title defense this year.
Pascal was at one point one of the top light heavyweights in the world, but has not been a world champion in more than seven years. Pascal first won the WBC title in 2009 and then the Ring Magazine and lineal 175-pound titles in 2010. He would lose all of his world titles in May 2011 when he lost a unanimous decision to Bernard Hopkins.