Dmitry Bivol will spend the rest of the year on the mend.
He just hopes his current unified light heavyweight championship reign remains intact once he’s ready to return to the ring.
The lineal, WBA, IBF and WBO 175lbs champion revealed on Friday that he is currently recovering from surgery for a lingering back injury. The development came more than a week after the deadline expired to reach an agreement with Michael Eifert for an IBF-ordered mandatory title defense.
“Following my doctor’s advice, I had to undergo surgery for a past back injury which I’ve been dealing with for over ten years,” Bivol announced through his verified social media channels. “But it kept getting worse with each training camp. Everything went well, and I’m feeling much better already.
“A 6-8 week recovery period lies ahead, after which I plan to start training again.”
BoxingScene has learned that Bivol, 24-1 (12 KOs), and his team plan to file for a medical exception given his current condition. The matter will still require approval by the IBF once received, for the two-time and reigning light heavyweight king to not have to honor his overdue title challenge against Germany’s Eifert, 13-1 (5 KOs).
Bivol was ordered to face Eifert, the longtime IBF No. 1 contender, on July 1. Little progress was made during their negotiation period, though Bivol – who is co-promoted by Matchroom Boxing and World of Boxing – asked for a one-week extension before the sanctioning body would have to move toward ordering a purse bid hearing, per its rules covering mandatory title fights.
Eifert has been the IBF’s No. 1 light heavyweight contender since his March 2023 win over former lineal champion Jean Pascal. The sanctioned title eliminator saw Eifert hit the road and upset Pascal via unanimous decision in the latter’s hometown of Laval, Canada.
It has been a very slow process to get Eifert into the title picture. The sanctioning body joined the WBC, WBA and WBO in first allowing then-unified and unbeaten champ Artur Beterbiev to meet Bivol in an undisputed championship clash. Beterbiev, 21-1 (20 KOs), won their first meeting via majority decision last October 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The IBF ordered Beterbiev, a two-time Russian Olympian who now lives and trains in Montreal, to face Eifert. However, an exception was granted for Beterbiev to instead face Bivol in an immediate rematch, with the condition that Eifert was guaranteed to next face the winner.
Bivol won their February 22 sequel, also via majority decision and in Riyadh. He subsequently vacated his WBC belt in lieu of an ordered title consolidation clash with David Benavidez. The idea at the time was to enter a rubber match with Beterbiev, though the matter lingered for months without any real resolution.
There was a point when the targeted third fight was destined for Russia. Financial backers for the proposed event were prepared to pay more than they would have made even on Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season circuit.
However, Beterbiev placed the blame solely on Bivol for the trilogy clash never seeing the light of day. He has instead moved on to a stay-busy fight with Alabama’s Deon Nicholson on Alalshikh’s loaded November 22 show in Riyadh.
It was never guaranteed that Bivol would have been granted permission by the IBF to again face Beterbiev. He was out of exceptions absent a medical issue, though his current reported state should at least allow him to hold the IBF title until he’s given a clean bill of health.
The IBF will now have to rule on Bivol’s requested medical exception, as well as on what to do with its title status in the meantime. Rule changes from its most recent convention have allowed for more liberal use of approving interim title fights. That said, injured titleholders have long served as the primary condition for such granted status.
Bivol insists he will come back stronger than ever in 2026, though without offering a hint of whom he would next face.
“Thank you all for your support,” Bivol told his fans, “I look forward to new challenges in the next year.”
