International Boxing Federation Again Delays Mandatory Defense for Dmitry Bivol Against Michael Eifert

The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has once again postponed the mandatory light heavyweight title defense that was originally scheduled for March 3. The decision gives IBF, World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) champion Dmitry Bivol and mandatory challenger Michael Eifert more time to reach an agreement for the bout.

The 35-year-old Russian boxer Bivol is preparing for a return to the ring after a lengthy absence and back surgery he underwent in August last year. If he had refused to defend his mandatory title against the 28-year-old German, he would have been stripped of the IBF belt.

Eifert became the IBF’s mandatory challenger back in 2023. In 2024, the German agreed to a six-figure compensation payment to allow Bivol and Artur Beterbiev to face each other in a fight for the undisputed light heavyweight championship.