Is Dmitry Bivol still married to Ekaterina? Everything you need to know about the boxer’s marital status
WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol has enjoyed an unbeaten professional career in the boxing ring so far, but he hasn't competed a single time this year owing to personal problems.
Bivol was previously married to Ekaterina Bivol, who he was in a relationship with for 16 years prior to their break-up this past August. The couple have two sons from their marriage, who are currently with their mother.
Ekaterina initially refused to delve into the reason behind their divorce and told Russian outlet Postsen that the two had not been seeing each other frequently over the past year:
"I’m not sad without Dima. What should I get used to? I have always been alone for at least six months, and over the past year we have not seen each other for 10 months, I am very used to loneliness. I feel sad at times, but I thought it would be worse. Turns out I’m much stronger than I thought. Surprised by myself. I myself do not understand how it all happened. There was no real reason to end the relationship... I lived a cool 16 years, very difficult, but also successful at the same time, with my loved one. I don’t regret anything. I am grateful to fate."
However, Ekaterina later laid all her reasons bare in October by accusing Dmitry Bivol of domestic violence. She posted pictures to back her accusations on her Instagram stories with scathing captions.
Dmitry Bivol praises Jake Paul for his love of boxing
Dmitry Bivol is preparing to take on Lyndon Arthur in defense of his WBA title on the high-profile 'Day of Reckoning' card this Saturday, December 23, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In the lead-up to the fight, he praised YouTuber-turnedboxing sensation Jake Paul during an interview with TMZ. He appreciated Paul's love for boxing and his commitment to it.
He said:
"To be honest, I like that the guy who's not boxer, he really loves the sport. We see he's training hard. I respect him for this. He's going and doing his fighting, he's not just like, 'I will beat everyone' and think like this."
Check out his full comments in the interview with TMZ below: