After years of waiting, the time has come: Michael Eifert faces the biggest fight of his career against Dmitry Bivol.
Michael Eifert finally has the world championship fight he has been working towards for so long. The light heavyweight from Germany will challenge world champion Dmitry Bivol on May 30 in Yekaterinburg – and will be fighting for several titles (IBF, WBA-Super & WBO). Getting there was anything but easy. Eifert had already put himself in position with his surprise victory against Jean Pascal, but this was followed by a long period of waiting. For years, the hoped-for title opportunity failed to materialize – a test of patience that is not uncommon in professional boxing.
But now the fight is fixed. For Eifert, the duel represents the biggest moment of his career. He will enter the ring against the technically brilliant Bivol as the clear underdog, but he is already familiar with this role from the past. The venue is also interesting: instead of an international mega-event, the fight will take place in Russia – a fact that is also likely to have an impact on the TV broadcast. In sporting terms, the starting position is clear: Bivol is regarded as one of the best boxers in the world, but Eifert has a unique opportunity to turn everything on its head and catapult himself to the top of the world rankings.
Text by Robin Josten