Dmitry Bivol’s Return Comes With Questions After Back Surgery

Dmitry Bivol’s next fight is expected to answer questions that no pad video can.

Bivol, the IBF, WBA and WBO light heavyweight champion, is working back from back surgery performed last August. He turns 36 later this year, and his return is penciled in for the first quarter of 2026. The timing matters because the division has not slowed down while he has been out.

Bivol is expected to return in March or April to defend his IBF title against mandatory challenger Michael Eifert. It would be his first fight since February 2025, when he edged Artur Beterbiev by majority decision over twelve rounds. Bivol is scheduled to resume full training in February.

That win evened his series with Beterbiev at one apiece. It also failed to settle much. Plenty of observers believe either fight could have gone the other way. The planned trilogy has now been pushed back close to a year because of Bivol’s injury, and that delay carries risk. Beterbiev’s style is built on pressure and power. Time away does not blunt that in the same way it can blunt movement.

Bivol’s game depends on footwork, timing and reactions. Those traits tend to fade earlier than strength. Long layoffs do not help, and back surgery adds another unknown. A fighter built around control and evasion cannot afford much slippage.

Clips of Bivol working pads surfaced online this week, showing him moving well and throwing sharply. It is reassuring but limited. Pads do not punch back. They do not force resets, pivots or long defensive sequences. Those are the areas that will decide his future fights.

Beyond Beterbiev, there is also David Benavidez. Benavidez is younger and physically demanding even for a healthy champion. That fight would be difficult under ideal conditions. After surgery and time away, it becomes harder to project.

For now, the division is waiting. The Eifert defense should show how much Bivol still has. What comes after depends on whether his legs and back hold up once the rounds start adding up again.