On the move: the Russian knocked out the German at the very beginning of the fight

Dmitry Bivol, the WBA, WBO and IBF light heavyweight world champion, defeated German Michael Eifert in a title fight (the Russian's WBA and IBF belts were at stake]). The fight in Yekaterinburg lasted all 12 rounds. The score of the judges' notes: 120-107, 120-107, 120-107 in favor of Bivol, who, even despite not having the most optimal form, showed his superiority.

Forced protection

On May 30 in Yekaterinburg at the UMMC Arena, the absolute light heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol returned to the ring after a long pause to make a mandatory title defense against German Michael Eifert. The central fight of the evening, organized by RCC Boxing with the support of the Russian Copper Company, was a homecoming for the Russian: the last time Bivol boxed under the auspices of RCC was in December 2021. By May 2026, the WBA and IBF belts remained in the hands of the champion — they were the ones that were played in the Ural capital after the WBO refused to sanction the fight, and the WBC belt was released earlier for the sake of a potential trilogy.

By his 25th professional fight, Bivol came up with a 24-1 record, which is backed by long-term dominance in the division. His track record includes 11 WBA title defenses, a landslide victory over Saul Alvarez in May 2022, and two epic battles with Artur Beterbiev. In October 2024, in Riyadh, he lost by a majority of the judges' votes for the first time, and in February 2025, he took revenge by combining all four main belts. The trilogy seemed like a logical continuation, but the organizers showed no interest in it, and Bivol himself underwent back surgery to repair a long-term injury. The recovery took several months, and now the undisputed champion was forced to defend his remaining titles against an official IBF challenger.

"I always treat my opponents as seriously as possible, they are the most dangerous opponents," Bivol Aifert said, adding that a lack of excitement would be a bad sign.

28-year-old Michael Eifert earned a championship chance in March 2023, when he defeated former world champion Jean Pascal in Canada by unanimous decision as the absolute underdog. The German paid for that success with a long downtime: protecting the position of the mandatory challenger, he held only one intermediate fight, in August 2024, defeating Carlos Jimenez ahead of schedule. By the time he enters the ring in Yekaterinburg, Aifert's break will be 21 months, but he sees it as a payment for the only chance of a lifetime.

— Bivol is already a legend of the sport. But that's what motivates me. I've waited my whole life for this day, and I know I can overthrow it," the German concluded.

According to the Brazilian scheme: how Volkov won the most important battle against Almeida

Alexander approached the title fight, as did Umar Nurmagomedov, who had lunch with Bautista.

Below the level

Already in the second minute of the opening round, Eifert was knocked down for the first time after a counter punch. Dmitry worked confidently and proactively, occupying the center of the ring. In the second leg, the world champion slowed down a little, but sometimes he invested in punches, doing this much more often than in his previous fights. By the fourth three minutes, Eifert got used to the ring and began to move forward with punches more often. Bivol returned to his usual role as number two. It was noticeable that Dmitry was not at the peak of his form, that he was not giving his all, but it was enough to outplay an opponent who was clearly below the level.

Bivol methodically outplayed Eifert, and by the end of the fifth round, he suddenly exploded with a hail of punches — the German held out. For most of the match, Dmitry intentionally gave Michael the initiative and counterattacked in his signature style, but at the right moment he turned on and processed Aifert with a number of hits. Before the ninth round, Bivol's coach Gennady Mashyanov remarked, "He's flying headfirst to run into your fist." It seems that Mashyanov also wanted an early victory from Dmitry.

In the final rounds, Bivol began to put more pressure, but still brought the fight to the decision of the judges. Eifert spent the last two rounds on the run, and it became clear that the victory remained with the Russian. The arbitrators were unanimous: 120-107, 120-107, 120-107. On the one hand, the fight was a warm-up for Dmitry, on the other, it is obvious that he has rust due to downtime, and he was not fully ready. Eifert couldn't surprise Bivol even in such obviously not the best form.

— Guys, thank you for your support, you are the best, — Bivol addressed the fans after the victory. — it was an incredible support. Thanks to Eifert and his team. Without them, this evening would not have taken place. Thanks to RCC.

Now 35-year-old Bivol has 25 wins (12 by knockout) and one defeat. The 28-year-old Eifert suffered his second defeat with 13 wins (5 by knockout).