IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert will face Dmitry Bivol in May – Russia is the likely venue.
Loud Boxingscene Michael Eifert’s IBF mandatory challenger fight against Dmitry Bivol will now take place in Russia. It had previously been reported that Bivol vs. Eifert was to be scheduled as part of Oleksandr Usyk’s undercard against Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza. However, it now appears that the IBF world title fight will be moved to Yekaterinburg in eastern Russia. A report from Jake Donovan states that “the fight is still expected to take place in May”. However, no specific date or official venue has yet been confirmed.
Eifert (13-1, 5 knockouts) has waited a long time for his mandatory opportunity and has not been in the ring since August 24, 2024, when he defeated the little-known Carlos Eduardo Jimenez in Magdeburg. Before that, the 28-year-old had already defeated former world champion Jean Pascal on points in Quebec, Canada – albeit more than three years ago.
Bivol (24-1, 12 knockouts) secured his status as undisputed light heavyweight world champion in a rematch against his Russian rival Artur Beterbiev last February, but has been inactive since then due to injury. He has since been stripped of his WBC title, but still holds the IBF, WBA and WBO world championship belts. David Benavidez was elevated to WBC world champion two months after Bivol’s victory over Beterbiev, who relinquished his title.