Boxing

The return of Dmitry Bivol raises doubts before the fight with Eifert

Published

6 months ago

April 21, 2026

Image: De La Hoya: Bivol vs. Benavidez is the Fight to Make, Not a Beterbiev Trilogy

Bivol’s victory over Malik Zinad in Riyad last year did not reassure doubters. Zinad entered the fight with circumscribed reputation value and no major victories over proven rivals. He was seen by many as a replacement opponent rather than as the sort of challenge that would show where the champion stood.

Previously, at the end of 2023, Bivol overtook Lyndon Arthur. Arthur is a capable fighter with solid credentials, but critics viewed this result as a good career win rather than a statement against one of the division’s top fighters.

Then came two fights with Artur Beterbiev. Bivol lost the first match and officially won the rematch by majority decision, but many fans believed the second fight could have ended in a draw. This has caused more debate than certainty as to where he stands at the top of the airy heavyweight division.

Now Bivol will face Eifert after a long period out of the ring and spine surgery. By fight night, he will have been inactive for over a year. For a fighter whose style depends on footwork, balance, timing and controlled movement, inactivity may carry greater risks than for the average boxer.

None of this means that Bivol is over or has been diminished. Elite boxers have made a robust comeback after earlier layoffs. However, this return comes with more questions than multiple title defenses.

Heroes can only live on their reputation for so long. On May 30, Bivol has a chance to prove that, at his level, he can still perform in the present tense, not the past tense.

Still, the 16-month break poses a huge obstacle for Bivol. When he enters the ring in Yekaterinburg on May 30, he will not be circumscribed only by inactivity, but by the physical reality of spine surgery. A herniated disc for a movement-based fighter like Bivol is a different beast than for a stationary slugger.

If these lateral movements, or the characteristic spring in his step, are reduced by even 10%, Bivol’s version of the “elite technician” could become a thing of the past.

It can be said that his resume is largely based on his victory over Zurdo Ramirez in 2022. Since then, the trajectory has been unclear.

Although he received the majority decision in February 2025, it did not exactly end the case. As I noted, many saw Beterbiev draw or narrowly win.

Victories over Malik Zinad and Lyndon Arthur kept the belts balmy, but didn’t provide the drag needed to prove he was still the pound-for-pound threat he was when dismantling Canelo.

Turning 36 is the established drop off a cliff into lighter, speed-dependent weights. Even in the airy heavyweight division, reflexes are usually the first thing to look at.

Michael Eifert is an engaging choice to return. On the one hand, he’s an IBF must-see, so Bivol has to fight him to keep the hardware. Then again, his only real claim to fame is his 2023 decision on the very faded Jean Pascal. He is younger (28) and fresh, but he hasn’t shown the world-class equipment that would normally cause problems for Bivol.

If Bivol fights Eifert or looks sluggish, the talented narrative surrounding the Beterbiev fight will only become louder. Fans are looking for the 2022 version of Bivol, but after repairing his back and four years of aging since his last dominant win against an elite name, we may be looking at a champion fighting on borrowed time.

Boxing

WBO Denies Denzel Bentleys Appeal; Must Face Yoenli Hernandez or Vacate Title

Published

7 hours ago

October 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"WBO Denies Denzel Bentley’s Appeal; Must Face Yoenli Hernandez or Vacate Title"

Another day, another Zuffa signee losing his belt for shirking his responsibilities. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri announced that the sanctioning body has denied middleweight champion Denzel Bentley’s appeal for a voluntary defense, giving him 24 hours to commit to facing mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez.

Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KO) was the beneficiary of Janibek Alimkhanuly’s failed drug test and subsequent emigration to the super middleweight division, as the move elevated the interim belt he’d claimed against Endry Saavendra in April to the real deal. That came with conditions, namely a mandated showdown with Hernandez (11-0, 9 KO) that failed to produce a a contract.

As for who’ll fight Hernandez for it, Vito Mielnicki Jr sits behind him at no. 2, followed by an otherwise-occupied Tim TszyuMichael Zerafa (lmao), and Fiodor Czerkaszyn. We’ll let you know as soon as an enterprising bachelor steps up.

Boxing

WBO Denies Denzel Bentleys Appeal; Orders Showdown with Yoenli Hernandez or Vacate Title

Published

7 hours ago

October 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"WBO Denies Denzel Bentley's Appeal; Orders Showdown with Yoenli Hernandez or Vacate Title"

Boxing

Bob Arum Comments on Zuffa Boxings Position as Saudis Scale Back Involvement

Published

8 hours ago

October 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Bob Arum Comments on Zuffa Boxing's Position as Saudis Scale Back Involvement

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is back on the scene with a new knee! And now that he’s getting around again, he was able to catch up with Fight Hub TV to give his perspective on what’s been going on in the boxing business as of late, particularly as it pertains to Zuffa Boxing who appear to be in a state of flux. Check out what he had to say below!

Arum on Zuffa’s place in boxing landscape

“When you look at Zuffa, they are hoping to do what they’re doing with Saudi money and the Saudis have poured a lot of money into the sport and for a while were backing Zuffa, so Zuffa felt emboldened to offer big [money] to good fighters like Shakur Stevenson. Now, apparently the Saudis, Turki and Sela have gotten the word from up high in Saudi Arabia, ‘hey, this money is not going to be unlimited, you’ve got to cut down,’ or there’s no money — I don’t know what they’ve told them.

“So the Saudis are clearly pulling back and who knows if they’re going to be involved in boxing after this year. They’ve already, apparently, sold Ring Magazine to DAZN. So, if the Saudi money isn’t there, Zuffa is not going to spend its own money to promote fights because they have announced to their shareholders that they would not do that. And if they start doing it, then they leave themselves open to a major shareholder suit.

“So, again, we have to see what’s going to happen. There’s no animosity, people are doing what they feel is best for them and that’s business. How this all turns out, we’re going to have to see next year and the years after that.”

On whether he thinks Zuffa has done a good job thus far

“What does it mean to have done a good job? If somebody gave me a barrel of money to put on fights, would I be doing a good job? Sure. But anybody would be doing a good job. I mean, give Oscar this kind of money, give Eddie this kind of money.

“So it’s not a question of a good job, the question is can they make matches having a limited budget that is limited by the financial viability of the fight, not what somebody from the outside is pouring into it. That’s doing a big, good job — making it work for them, for the public, for the fighters without the fighters outside help putting in all this money without any way to get it back.”

On Shakur splitting with Zuffa before one fight together

“Once they realized there was no money coming from the Saudis to fund a $15M fight deal, then what do you do? If you can get out of that contract, you get out of it. Did they get out, did it cost them any money to get out? I don’t know. But, again, to pay Shakur $15M…financially it’s not viable. So, it is what it is. And once the Saudis really left the message that they got the word from The Boss that this unlimited tap is going to stop, it was bound to happen.”

On the Shakur vs Devin fight falling apart

“The fight fell apart, but essentially it fell apart is because DAZN had promised [Devin] Haney a certain amount of money, Zuffa had promised Shakur a certain amount of money, and it wasn’t a match because that money didn’t exist in the fight that they would have…Would the fight have justified the money being put up? Because otherwise nobody wants to break their ass doing a fight, promoting a fight, and ending up facing an absolute possibility that you’re going to lose money.”

On his prediction for the business once the Saudi money evaporates

“Looking at the past when this happened, and in boxing it happens all the time, the market then settles and fighters fight for what’s available and we get some very good fights that still go on and life continues. But how it’s going to come out after this, where we had so much money being put into the sport not existing, how is the sport going to continue? It’s going to continue, but how is it going to continue, I don’t know.

“Remember, [Al] Haymon came in when he had that deal with the mutual fund with hundreds of millions of dollars, and all he accomplished was pissing it away. So, again, I have the experience and I’ve been around enough not to say definitively what’s going to happen because I don’t know like nobody else does. I have an idea but again, it’s just an idea and not worth talking about. All I know is that the sport will continue, there will be great fights being made. How everybody will be compensated remains to be seen but that’s in the future.“

On Ryan Garcia saying he’s going to fight Floyd Mayweather for the WBC title

“Will people be interested in it? I don’t know. I know Floyd [Mayweather] needs the money ‘cause he’s pissed away tons of the money that he made. I mean, he blames Haymon for that, he blames this for that, but ultimately I blame him for pissing it away. Will Garcia vs Mayweather generate money? Will it generate enough money to satisfy these guys? I don’t know. I think there will be limited interest in a fight where you have a young guy at the peak of his boxing prowess fighting an old man, which Mayweather has now become.”

On the Eddie Hearn vs Dana White beef over promoting Fury vs AJ, and Hearn insisting White can’t be involved

“Well, that’s right. Eddie [Hearn] is correct. Frank [Warren] and I have a contract with [Tyson] FuryEddie has a contract with [Anthony] Joshua. Dana has a contract with nobody. But if Dana wanted to be involved with the fight, be my guest. I mean, the money is the money. The Saudis are putting up the bulk of the money in that fight. They’ll do a good gate, get back some of it. But again, what do I care? What should anybody care?”