Dmitry Bivol Targeting March 2026 Return After Back Surgery

Dmitry Bivol won’t be fighting until at least March 2026, as he returns from back surgery.

Hearn Confirms Possible Mandatory Fight

Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that IBF, WBA, and WBO light heavyweight champion Bivol’s next fight could be one of his mandatory defenses rather than his trilogy match against Artur Beterbiev.

Bivol has three mandatory challengers waiting for his remaining titles. He gave up his WBC when he had David Benavidez as the mandatory for that belt. It’s understandable why Bivol chose to give up the title. That would have been a hard fight for him.

Bivol’s three mandatorys

• Michael Eifert – IBF
• David Benavidez – WBA
• Callum Smith – WBO

The WBO situation is still in flux, as interim champion Smith has a defense ordered against David Morrell next. The winner of that fight will be the WBO mandatory.

Why a Mandatory Makes Sense for the Return

IBF mandatory, Michael Eifert, hasn’t beaten any notable opposition during his seven-year pro career, for him to get in the position as Bivol’s mandatory. If that’s Bivol’s next fight in mandatory, it would be like a tune-up-level fight.

Given that Dmitry will be returning from back surgery and a 13-month layoff, Eifert would be an ideal fit to ease his return. It would be riskier if Bivol came off the layoff and fought Artur Beterbiev in their trilogy.

“The first fight back may be a smaller fight than [the Artur Beterbiev trilogy], maybe one of his mandatory defenses,” said promoter Eddie Hearn about Dmitry Bivol’s next fight in 2026.

Bivol can’t afford to relinquish any more titles, as they are what validate him now. Many fans view David Benavidez as the top fighter in the division. However, Bivol holds all those titles, and that gives him credibility.

“He’s got quite a few of them. One is Callum Smith, one is Michael Eifert, WBA I think has a mandatory as well. He would’ve been out of the ring — he won’t fight before March — so he would’ve been out of the ring for a year and would’ve had a couple of operations,” said Hearn.

Hearn promotes Callum Smith, but he can’t push for him to be next for Bivol until after he faces David Morrell.