Dmitry Bivol set for elbow surgery before Callum Smith mandatory

Dmitry Bivol will undergo surgery on his injured left elbow on July 4 before moving towards a WBO mandatory defence against Callum Smith. The WBO is expected to order the fight after being informed of Bivol’s plans through Matchroom Boxing, according to BoxingScene.

Bivol, 25-1 (12 KOs), retained his position as unified light-heavyweight champion by returning from a year-plus absence connected to back surgery and defeating Michael Eifert by unanimous decision on May 30. The timetable for his next fight will not be clear until after the elbow procedure, but the intention is for Smith, the WBO’s top-ranked contender, to be next.

The decision keeps Bivol’s WBO title in place at a time when his next move had broader consequences for the division. Had he pursued a third fight with Artur Beterbiev or a fight with WBC champion David Benavidez instead, he would have been required to vacate the WBO belt, which would have automatically elevated Smith to full champion.

Mandatory route takes priority

The WBO position has been building since before Bivol’s win over Eifert, with president Gustavo Olivieri having announced that Smith would be enforced as mandatory challenger if Bivol came through that fight. Smith, 31-2 (22 KOs), earned his status by beating Joshua Buatsi by unanimous decision in February 2025 to win the WBO interim light-heavyweight title.

Smith has not fought since the Buatsi victory. He was scheduled to face David Morrell on April 18 but withdrew through injury, leading to the bout being cancelled, and the proposed rearrangement was later derailed when Morrell was stopped in a keep-busy fight against Zak Chelli in Manchester on May 9. Brit Chelli stopped him in the 10th and final round, in one of the biggest upsets in the sport so far in 2026.

Bivol’s route also delays the fights that have generated the most discussion around the top of the light-heavyweight division. He and Beterbiev split two close fights, with Bivol winning their February 2025 rematch by majority decision to become undisputed champion, but the planned trilogy did not happen, in part because Bivol underwent back surgery in August 2025. He has since vacated the WBC title, leaving him as a unified champion rather than undisputed.

Benavidez has also remained in the conversation. The WBC previously ordered Bivol to face him after the Beterbiev rematch, and Benavidez has continued to express interest in returning to 175lbs to challenge Bivol while also holding WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles. He has also proposed a 190lb catchweight fight, though his immediate cruiserweight business includes an ordered unification with WBC champion Noel Mikaelian.

For Smith, Bivol’s decision removes the alternative path of being upgraded without a fight and instead points him towards a direct title challenge. Eddie Hearn had previously suggested that if Smith became full WBO champion, a first defence could have been a Buatsi rematch as part of a proposed 7 vs 7 promotional event with Queensberry, but the WBO order now shifts the focus back to Bivol-Smith.

The next step is Bivol’s surgery and the subsequent medical timeline. Once his recovery period is established, the WBO order should push Matchroom and the relevant parties into setting a firm date for Bivol’s mandatory defence against Smith.