Dmitry Bivol seems to have his next two fights lined up, but another future opponent is set be determined this weekend as the reality of being a three-belt unified world champion hits home.
Whilst unconfirmed at present, Bivol is set to defend his light-heavyweight marbles against WBO mandatory challenger Callum Smith on December 12 in Yekaterinburg, once the WBO make a decision on whether they will sanction a world title affair in Russia.
Then, should Bivol retain his belts against the Liverpudlian, it is believed that the pound-for-pound star will finally appease fans by partaking in a trilogy showdown against Artur Beterbiev, who has been waiting for their rubber match since his February 2025 defeat to Bivol.
This weekend, viral sensation Ben Whittaker will face the Australia-based Conor Wallace at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, in a final eliminator for Bivol’s IBF light-heavyweight world title, with the victor set to be installed as the IBF’s mandatory challenger.
After a controversial draw with Liam Cameron in October 2024, Whittaker, 12-0-1 (9 KOs), has since strung together a streak of four consecutive victories inside of two rounds, despite stepping up to fringe world level and rising the rankings.
Meanwhile, Wallace – who hails from Newry, Northern Ireland but relocated to Australia – is yet to fight outside of his newfound home nation.
He has been on the cusp of a world title shot for a while, with many fans having expected him to square off with Michael Eifert in a vacant title bout before Bivol opted to fulfil that mandatory earlier this year.
Wallace, 17-1 (12 KOs), will be the first southpaw opponent of Whittaker’s career and the 30-year-old will hope that he can prove to be too awkward for the slick ‘Surgeon’, when he attempts to pull off the upset on away soil this Saturday.
