All of boxing is seemingly calling for an Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol rematch, but the IBF has other ideas.
The sanctioning body on Thursday ordered undisputed champion Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) to defend his IBF light heavyweight title against the mandatory challenger Michael Eifert (13-1, 5 KOs) next. Uncrowned’s Keith Idec was first with the news.
Eifert won an IBF title eliminator against the former light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal in March 2023 and has been waiting for his shot ever since. The IBF order comes as little surprise, as Beterbiev hasn’t faced an IBF mandatory in almost four years since he stopped Adam Deines in the 10th round in March 2021.
On Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Beterbiev won a narrow majority decision (114-114, 115-113, 116-112) over Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) to unify all four titles. The decision was hotly disputed with the majority of viewers, whether watching from ringside or at home, believing that Bivol did enough to win the fight.
Turki Alalshikh, who organizes the boxing events under Riyadh Season, was also dissatisfied with the verdict and stated post-fight that he will push for the rematch.
Bivol’s manager, Vadim Kornilov, took the next step toward securing a rematch on Wednesday by contacting all four sanctioning bodies to formally protest the decision and request a rematch to be ordered.
“Due to the fact that this fight was quite controversial, we proceeded with a rematch request and protest of the decision with all of the sanctioning bodies,” Kornilov told Ring Magazine. “And we are still working on the possibility of a review of the 116-112 scorecard.”
But less than 24 hours later, the IBF has called for Beterbiev to face its mandatory challenger instead, putting a potential rematch in doubt. Beterbiev’s team could ask the IBF for an exemption to rematch Bivol, or they could work out a step-aside deal with Eifert that would allow the rematch to take place and for Eifert to face the winner.
Should neither of those options materialize, Beterbiev may be forced to vacate the IBF title to ensure a rematch with Bivol is next. A Beterbiev vs. Bivol rematch would be supported by Alalshikh and therefore likely present the most lucrative option for Beterbiev’s next fight.
If Beterbiev relinquishes the championship or is stripped, Eifert will be ordered to face Australian southpaw Conor Wallace (14-1, 10 KOs) for the vacant belt. Wallace won a split decision over Jerome Pampellone in their Trans-Tasman bout in August to become the IBF’s No. 2 ranked light heavyweight.
