Unified light heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol will not be defending his WBO title when he welcomes Michael Eifert to the UMMC Arena in Ekaterinburg on May 30.
Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) was due to defend his IBF, WBA and WBO titles against his IBF mandatory in German contender Eifert (13-1, 5 KOs). However, according to Ring Magazine WBO President Gustavo Olivieri has refused to allow the WBO belt to be contested in the fight, but has not stripped the Russian of his title.
In a post on Instagram, Ring Magazine announced: “Dmitry Bivol’s WBO light heavyweight title won’t be on the line vs Michael Eifert on May 30 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, due to the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, per a letter from WBO president Gustavo Olivieri obtained by The Ring’s Mike Coppinger. The WBO won’t strip Bivol, though. The WBA and IBF titles will be on the line along with The Ring championship at 175lbs.”
The IBF, WBA and the lesser IBO world championship belts will still be on the line in Bivol’s first fight in his native Russia since defeating Umar Salamov in 2021.
Bivol has been inactive for well over a year since he defeated long-term nemesis Artur Betrebiev in a rematch for the undisputed title at 175 pounds.
The war in Ukraine is well into its fifth year since Russia made a large-scale invasion on the independent nation. At the time of writing Russian occupies close to twenty percent of Ukraine.
