Dmitry Bivol's plans for a trilogy fight with Artur Beterbiev have hit a snag. The IBF has ordered Bivol to defend his light-heavyweight title against mandatory challenger Michael Eifert.
Bivol, the 34-year-old Russian fighter, claimed the undisputed light-heavyweight crown just a few months ago. He outpointed Beterbiev in their rematch this February at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That victory avenged his loss to Beterbiev from October 2023, when the 40-year-old Russian became the first undisputed champion at 175lbs in the four-belt era.
The boxing world expected Bivol and Beterbiev to settle their rivalry with a third fight. But the IBF has thrown a wrench in those plans by ordering Bivol to face Eifert. The German challenger was actually set to fight Beterbiev before the Bivol rematch happened.
If Bivol doesn't take the Eifert fight, he'll likely lose his IBF title. This comes right after he gave up his WBC belt when ordered to defend against David Benavidez. The WBC then bumped Benavidez up to full champion status.
Benavidez will make his first defense against Anthony Yarde for that WBC strap. Meanwhile, Bivol still holds the IBF, WBA, and WBO titles – for now.
Dan Rafael reports on Twitter that the Bivol-Beterbiev trilogy might get pushed all the way back to 2026. The fight was originally targeted for late 2024.
This situation leaves Bivol with a tough choice. He'll have to decide between keeping his undisputed status by facing Eifert or potentially losing another belt while holding out for the bigger Beterbiev fight.
