Dmitry Bivol’s awaited ring return is officially available to the highest bidder.
BoxingScene has confirmed that Bivol’s IBF-ordered light heavyweight title defense versus Michael Eifert will now head to a February 3 purse bid hearing. The session was scheduled after the deadline elapsed without a deal in place for the long overdue mandatory.
As with the timeline for any purse bid, a deal can still be reached up until the day of – and minutes leading up to – the hearing.
Bivol is with Matchroom Boxing and career-long manager Vadim Kornilov. Eifert fights under the SES banner and is guided by Blanko Sports’ Benedikt “Benny Blanko” Poelchau.
The bout was ordered on at least two separate occasions and again upon confirmation that Bivol, 24-1 (12 KOs), was set to return to the ring. The lineal, RING and unified WBA, IBF and WBO 175lbs champion has not fought since a February 2025 points win over Artur Beterbiev. The feat saw Bivol avenge his lone defeat suffered four months earlier and also saw him claim the undisputed championship.
IBF officials were forced to wait in line when the WBC immediately ordered a title consolidation bout between Bivol and David Benavidez, its interim titlist at the time. Bivol stalled out the unbeaten Benavidez all the way to the day of the purse bid before he dumped the WBC title.
The next mandatory in the rotation was the IBF, who ordered the bout earlier last year. The matter was tabled after Bivol was granted a medical exception as he underwent surgery to relieve a long-standing herniated disc.
It was since confirmed that Bivol is planning a springtime ring return. With that came the renewed call to face Germany’s Eifert, 13-1 (15 KOs), who is coming up on the three-year anniversary of his time as mandatory challenger.
Eifert assumed the IBF’s top contender spot with a March 2023 upset decision win over former lineal 175lbs champion Jean Pascal. Just one fight has followed, largely due to waiting on an IBF-sanctioned fight – first versus Bivol, then a teased interim title clash – to materialize.
At this point, Bivol must commit to the ordered title fight, as he is out of exceptions or options.
Sanctioning bodies will generally allow unification bouts to trump a mandatory but that’s not even an available avenue for Bivol.
Benavidez – the reigning WBC 175lbs titlist - is taking a one-fight trip north to cruiserweight to
challenge WBA/WBO cruiserweight titleholder Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez on May 2 in Las Vegas.
Should Bivol fail to honor the mandatory title defense versus Eifert, he will be stripped of his title. Similarly, Eifert would have to forfeit his position as No. 1 contender should he not move forward with the fight, nor would he be eligible to fight in any IBF-sanctioned contest for a minimum of six months.
The latter is hardly unlikely, as Eifert’s team aggressively pushed both for this fight and ultimately a purse bid hearing.
