Rivas, a logical candidate for Fury?

The misfortune of some often makes the happiness of others. Oscar Rivas may well apply this expression to his career in the coming days, as he is one of the candidates to rub shoulders with Briton Tyson Fury before the end of the year in England.

At the end of last week, negotiations between the “Gypsy King” (30-0-1, 21 KOs) and the Deontay Wilder clan (42-1-1, 41 KOs) stumbled. for the holding of a third shock between these two heavyweights. The first fight resulted in a draw and the second was clearly to Fury’s advantage.

There is now talk that this shock will be pushed back to 2021. Fury announced on Saturday that he wants to put on the gloves at least once before the end of the year. We are talking about December 5 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Who are the two main contenders to face the WBC heavyweight champion? Oscar Rivas (26-1, 18 K.-O.) and Agit Kabayel (20-0, 13 K.-O.), which are respectively ranked n^o 8 and n^o 15 in this sanctioning body.

“Rivas and Kabayel are associated with Top Rank, as is Fury. It facilitates negotiations, confirmed Yvon Michel at Journal of Montreal. They are both available at the moment.

“In my opinion, Kabayel has a head start on this issue. He’s not a puncher. He’s a much less dangerous opponent than Oscar. ”

The fight of a lifetime

Rivas has had an advantageous reputation in England since his fight against Dillian Whyte.

The Colombian Quebecer had fought a war in a defeat by unanimous decision. He even sent Whyte to the floor with an uppercut. It was a duel that had been marked by a story of doping and another for the suspicious gloves of Whyte.

We would be entitled to a swing back in favor of the GYM rep for what happened in July 2019. Rivas could get a world championship fight ahead of Whyte, who had been waiting more than two years after Deontay Wilder. Justice would be served.

For this unexpected opportunity, Yvon Michel is hopeful of obtaining a scholarship equivalent or superior to that obtained by Rivas against Whyte ($ 1.5 million). Negotiations are expected to start this week.

On the other hand, in the heavy category, you have to be ready for all possible scenarios. History tends to show that discussions are always long and complicated. We’ll see if that will still be the case.

Camp in Russia?

If he gets the fight, Rivas would have no choice but to hold his training camp outside of Canada.

It is not impossible that he is heading for Russia. He could train at the national center with Artur Beterbiev, who is due to return to the ring around December 11 in Moscow.

With the pandemic situation in Quebec, Rivas could not train properly for what would be the fight of his life. For the moment, the sessions of sparring are prohibited. In Russia he could have them at will with excellent training partners.

Of course, this option remains to be confirmed, but it would be the most logical.