Dmitry Bivol could be forced into Callum Smith fight

Bivol has not fought since defeating Artur Beterbiev in their February 2025 rematch to become undisputed light heavyweight champion. He was later stripped of the WBC title after choosing to pursue a trilogy fight with Beterbiev rather than face mandatory challenger David Benavidez.

A back injury then delayed Bivol’s comeback and created more traffic around his remaining titles. Now the WBO looks set to move its mandatory position to the front of the line.

Hello, Sir. The WBO will enforce Smith as mandatory for Bivol after Eifert. Greetings.

— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) May 21, 2026

The timing is difficult for Benavidez, who has made no secret of wanting a fight with Bivol after bouncing back and forth between light heavyweight and cruiserweight. A mandatory defense against Smith would also push back the much-discussed trilogy with the 41-year-old Beterbiev, whose window for a third fight is getting tighter as time goes on.

Smith was originally scheduled to face David Morrell in April, with the winner expected to move into position for a Bivol fight later this year. Smith withdrew with an injury, and Morrell instead fought Zak Chelli on May 9. In one of the bigger upsets of the year, Chelli stopped Morrell in the 10th round.

Olivieri also said that if Bivol refuses to face Smith, the WBO will order Smith to fight “the next highest available contender” for the vacant title.

Bivol’s plan has already become crowded after he lost the WBC belt. If the WBO goes through, he could soon be forced to choose between retaining another title or finally settling unfinished business with Beterbiev.