Craig Richards in talks for April shot at WBA world champion Dmitry Bivol

Craig Richards is set to challenge for the WBA world title – with the Crystal Palace fighter in talks for an April bout with Dmitry Bivol.

The South Londoner, 30, is ranked eighth by the governing body and won the British light-heavyweight title in December in impressive fashion against Shakan Pitters.

Russian Bivol is 17-0 in the professional ranks but has not fought since October 2019.

Richards told Sky Sports: “There’s been negotiations for this fight for the last few weeks, back and forth.

“It seems like it’s moving in the right direction. I know it will be April, and I think it will be over here, as far as I’ve heard.

“You don’t get much bigger than Dmitry Bivol at my weight. He’s a good boxer. He’s got a lot of things he does well. He’s very seasoned. I can see there’s flaws in him as well.

“This is the sort of fight where I will of course go through all my gears and show what I’m really about. I feel like stylistically, he’ll bring the best out of me.

“It will be tougher than the domestic fighters I’ve been knocking out, but I believe I’ve got enough IQ, enough skill and enough punch power to gain his respect and break him down over the duration.

“He’s a man, he’s a human being, two arms, two legs, just like myself. I hit very hard, I’ve got a good boxing brain and I’ve got a good chin myself, and I believe I’ve got the tools to win.”