Dmitry Bivol's Next Fight Gets New Location

Light heavyweight boxing world champion Dmitry Bivol is set to fight in front of a home crowd.

American media outlet www.boxingscene.com reports that a new date and venue have been set for the mandatory IBF title bout in the 80kg division. The fight was initially slated to be part of a groundbreaking event on May 23rd in Egypt, headlined by Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven. Instead, the title clash will now headline a separate boxing gala in May, held in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

For Bivol, who boasts a record of 24 wins and 1 loss, this will mark his first title defense since reclaiming the belt for a second time. It will also be his first fight in Russia since December 2021, when he defeated Umar Salamov. The 35-year-old boxer was born in Kyrgyzstan but has resided in Russia since the age of 11. In his last ring appearance, he triumphed over Artur Beterbiev in February 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

With that victory, Bivol became the undisputed light heavyweight champion and regained his WBA title, which he had held for nearly seven years before losing to Beterbiev in October 2024, also in Riyadh.

Bivol's undisputed status ended when he was forced to vacate his WBC title last spring to avoid a mandatory bout with then-interim champion David Benavidez. Nevertheless, he remains the lineal champion, as well as the Ring, WBA, IBF, and WBO champion in the division. Following the issues with Benavidez and the WBC, Bivol and his team prepared for a mandatory title defense against Germany's Eyfert (13-1, 5 KOs). However, the two-time champion did not fight until the end of 2025, as he was recovering from surgery to remove a herniated disc during the summer.

Eyfert has been the IBF's mandatory challenger since March 2023, when he defeated former champion Jean Pascal. He was previously scheduled to face Beterbiev after the Russian knockout artist's first fight with Bivol. An exception was made to allow the Beterbiev-Bivol II rematch, with the condition that the winner would face Eyfert without further delays.

Meanwhile, Eyfert has fought only once in the last three years and hasn't competed since August 2024, after two scheduled title fights and one interim belt bout fell through. The 28-year-old boxer from Magdeburg will finally get his long-awaited opportunity.