On Saturday evening in Russia, Dmitry Bivol defended his championship titles, but the subsequent statistics belonged to Michael Eifert.

The German challenger left Yekaterinburg with a stigma no one wants after posting what Compubox described as the lowest punch total ever recorded in a 12-round fight.

Bivol dropped Eifert in the first round before picking up a one-sided victory with WBN scoring 120-107.

By the final bell, the result had long been decided, but the numbers related to Eifert’s performance were only just beginning to attract attention.

In a fight dominated by Bivol, who made no mistakes, the consequences were more observable in his opponent’s play.

Historic low

According to Compubox, Eifert landed just 12 punches in all 12 rounds. Throughout the entire fight, he only landed six jabs and six strenuous punches, fired four body shots, and was credited with zero connections in six separate rounds.

Compubox stated: “Eifert landed only 12 total punches in the match, the lowest total in Compubox history in a 12-round fight.”

For a fighter fighting for a world title, the numbers are almost unbelievable.

Dmitry Bivol

This unwanted distinction belongs to Eifert, but Bivol deserves credit for creating the circumstances that produced it.

Returning after a 15-month absence and back surgery, the Russian controlled every aspect of the fight, starting with the first knockdown.

Eifert struggled to land his jab, rarely looked confident enough to throw combinations, and spent most of the contest reacting to Bivol rather than forcing his own fight.

Before the championship rounds, the challenger’s main goal seemed to be to hear the final bell.

Compubox added that Bivol landed 105 punches compared to Eifert’s 12, while also firing 26 body shots.

These numbers would be alarming in any fight, but in a world title fight they are almost unheard of.

Problem with the ranking system?

The show also highlights a growing problem with boxing’s ranking system.

Eifert entered the fight as Bivol’s mandatory challenger, despite never defeating a true top-15 lightweight heavyweight challenger en route to his opportunity.

When a challenger lands just 12 punches in 12 rounds and delivers the lowest total ever recorded in a 12-round fight, attention inevitably turns to the process that got him there.

The problem isn’t that Eifert accepted the opportunity. Few players would turn down a chance to become world champion.

The bigger issue is whether sanctioning authorities need stricter standards before handing out mandatory positions, especially if major fights are delayed to accommodate them.

Bivol’s victory keeps him on track for a third fight with Artur Beterbiev, but Eifert’s performance may leave many wondering whether he has done enough beforehand to justify standing in the way of one of boxing’s greatest rivalries.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Since 2010, he has been interviewing world champions, breaking down international titles exclusively and reporting from the ring. His work is distributed on major platforms including Apple News. Read the full biography.

Former world champion Keith Thurman weighed in on the impact of Errol Spence Jr.’s three-year layoff. before meeting Tim Tszyu.

The two pairs will face off on July 25 at the 158-pound catchweight division, with Spence making his first start since a ninth-round loss to Terence Crawford.

Their surprisingly one-sided fight saw “The Truth” lose his WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight titles, with Crawford ultimately becoming the undisputed three-division champion.

However, in an attempt to revive his career, Spence is now preparing to fight former super welterweight world champion Tszyuwho lost his WBO title in 2024 via split decision defeat to Sebastian Fundora.

The Australian was then stopped in the third round by Bakhram Murtazaliev later that year, before suffering a seventh-round stoppage defeat in a rematch with Fundora last July.

Tszyu has also made several changes to his training team over the past year, most recently hiring Australian great Jeff Fenech as his head coach.

Asked by MillCity Boxing about their clash in Australia, Thurman highlighted the 31-year-old’s greater activity as a clear advantage over Spence.

At the same time, however, “One Time” recognizes Spence’s pedigree as an crucial factor in the match against Tszyu, even though the 36-year-old has been out of the ring since July 2023.

“A lot of people see it as 50/50 [fight]. Spence has [had] too much dismissal – this is the biggest question mark.

“When your break is long [and] no one has seen you, they don’t know what version of you they will get.

“They will analyze you based on your last performance – [and Spence’s] the last performance wasn’t very good.

“I think Tim Tszyu has the advantage in performance and Spence has the advantage in pedigree. He was at a different level, he achieved more [than Tszyu].

“But it’s a solid 50/50 [fight]because they both have some questions that need answers.

Indeed, Spence has defeated more world-class opponents and competed at a higher level overall than Tszyu, whose most crucial victory came against Brian Mendoza in 2023.

By actively demanding complete disrespect from Prenga, Joshua is attempting to create an artificial sense of threat. He needs a reason to feel threatened. He’s practically begging Prenga to create a hostile environment because the friction alone will get his adrenaline pumping and force him to take the threat seriously.

This is a psychological tactic of masking the reality of the situation. If he can convince himself that this is a bitter, personal grudge rather than a routine victory meant to lead to a signature Tyson Fury hit, he can motivate himself to do grueling road work and stay locked up during camp.

When you’re a multiple-time heavyweight champion and you’re looking across the stage at someone who is essentially a club fighter who was brought in to provide a safe and sound option for recovery from massive trauma, it’s incredibly hard to find that true competitive fire.

The reality of this matchup is standard matchmaking practice aimed at reclaiming a major asset in the win column, but Joshua cannot afford to treat this like a sparring session. If he goes in there calmly and does all the things, then there will be great upset.

Prenga looked absolutely stunned today, standing next to a guy who has been selling out stadiums for a decade. It’s strenuous to play the role of a menacing, disrespectful villain when your eyes are as large as saucers and staring at the platform you’ve been given.

This is the loophole in Joshua’s plan. You can try to goad your opponent all you want, but if the guy on the other side of the stage is basically cheerful to be given the opportunity and the paycheck, you can’t force him to show real, genuine malice.

Prengi’s manager may utter fine promotional phrases about miscalculations and grave digging, but when the players look into each other’s eyes, the real active is revealed. Prenga looked like a guy who won the lottery, not a guy who wanted to start a war.

This puts Joshua in a hard position for the next two months of camp. If Prenga doesn’t give him the hostile energy he’s looking for, Joshua will have to find another way to motivate himself to get out of first gear on July 25.