WHILST the allure of the undisputed title is such that it becomes the ultimate goal for fighters, and a much-demanded necessity for fans, each reign comes to an end in similar fashion, resulting in fragmented titles.
As a consequence, the reign of Dmitry Bivol is expected to end outside the ring in 2025, with the IBF light-heavyweight title likely to become vacant in the near future as Northern Ireland-born but Australia-based fighter Conor Wallace, 15-1 (11 KOs), looks to capitalize.
Wallace scored a career-best split decision win over Jerome Pampellone back in August to assume his position as the number two-rated light-heavyweight in the IBF ratings, sat behind Germany’s Michael Eifert, 13-1 (5 KOs), who is the current mandatory challenger for Bivol’s title.
Artur Beterbiev had been ordered to fight Eifert back in October, only for a step-aside fee to be agreed in order to allow Beterbiev and Bivol to fight for the undisputed throne in their rematch – where Bivol scored a majority decision win.
Now, in order to retain all four titles, Bivol would presumably have to swerve the Beterbiev trilogy, as well as a lucrative showdown with David Benavidez, and accept a low-interest encounter with Eifert in order to appease the IBF.
Instead, it is expected that Bivol will either vacate or be stripped of the marble, leaving Eifert to fight Wallace – who is ranked number two by the IBF – for the vacant belt later in the calendar.
Keen to ensure he maintains his position in the rankings, it has now been confirmed that Wallace will return to action for a third time in nine months, appearing on the recently announced bill in Queensland, Australia, headlined by Jai Opetaia’s attempted third defence of his IBF cruiserweight title against Italy’s Claudio Squeo.
At present, it is unclear who Wallace will face on the Tasman Fighters card, but the bout will appear as the co-main event on the Tuesday, May 13 show and is therefore likely to be a competitive contest.
