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Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn confirmed that former foe Artur Beterbiev, WBC light-heavyweight champion David Benavidez, or mandatory challenger Callum Smith will be next for Dmitry Bivol.

“It was great to see him back. You saw him take his time in there. I feel like he probably could have got Eifert out of there, but it was great to bank the rounds after a very long period out with injury,” Hearn told Matchroom Boxing.

“Now he’s been ordered to fight Callum Smith. People are talking about Beterbiev III or Benavidez, but Callum has got to get his shot, so we’ll see what happens.

“We’ll speak to Dmitry and Vadim [Bivol’s manager] and the team. If he chooses to fight Beterbiev again or fight Benavidez, then it will be Callum Smith against [Joshua] Buatsi for the world title, which would be a massive fight.

“It’s exciting times, and Dmitry is now ready to jump straight back into the biggest fights in the sport.”

Rico Verhoeven insists he has plenty of tools in his armoury to surprise Oleksandr Usyk if the pair meet again.

The Dutchman pushed the heavyweight king all the way before being stopped in controversial fashion, fuelling calls for a rematch.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Verhoeven revealed how he was able to hurt Usyk during the fight – and warned there is much more to come should they share the ring again.

"I like to believe there is a world where maybe he wasn't at his best, I was doing really well, and those two things came together to make the fight look the way it did," Verhoeven said.

"I definitely hurt him in different spots, especially to the body. Not hurt to the point where I was close to getting him out of there, but the next day, he will have felt that.

"This is just me opening the toolbox. I only showed a few tools. There are multiple ways we can fight Usyk. The next one, again, is going to be a surprise."

O'Shaquie Foster was a class above rival Raymond Ford as he deservedly retained his WBC super-featherweight title at the Fertitta Center in his hometown of Houston, Texas.

After an occasionally ill-tempered build-up, Foster produced a disciplined display to largely neutralise Ford and earn a majority decision, with scores of 114-114, 118-110 and 116-112. The bad blood was evident from the opening round when Foster intentionally tossed Ford out of the ring, but escaped punishment for the foul.

After the decision was announced, Foster (25-3, 12 KOs) immediately turned his attention to four-division champion Shakur Stevenson, who was watching from ringside. Foster appeared to invite Stevenson into the ring, and the pair soon became embroiled in a heated exchange that required security intervention.



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Dmitry Bivol delivered a dominant performance to defeat Michael Eifert by unanimous decision to retain his IBF and WBA light-heavyweight titles at UMMC Arena in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Bivol was making his first appearance since defeating Artur Beterbiev by majority decision in their February 2025 rematch to become the undisputed light-heavyweight champion. He had been sidelined since while recovering from back surgery.

Eifert (13-2, 5 KOs), a 28-year-old German, entered on a seven-fight winning streak but had yet to face an opponent of Bivol’s caliber.

The bout was contested for Bivol’s IBF and WBA titles. His WBO belt was not at stake because the organization is not sanctioning championship fights in Russia while the Russia-Ukraine war continues.

Dmitry Bivol vs. Michael Eifert, 12 rounds, for Bivol's light-heavyweight titles.

🎙️ Did Rico Verhoeven expose cracks in Oleksandr Usyk’s armour, or was it just an off night for the heavyweight great? Chris McKenna joins Matt to break down the fight, the finish, and what it could mean for Usyk’s future.

🎧 Listen to the pod via link in comments

O'Shaquie Foster headlines a fight card in his native Texas for the second consecutive time when he puts the WBC super-featherweight belt on the line against Ray Ford tonight at Fertitta Center in Houston.

A heated rivalry takes centre stage tomorrow night when O’Shaquie Foster defends his WBC super-featherweight crown against Raymond Ford.

Light-heavyweight king Dmitry Bivol returns to the ring tomorrow against Michael Eifert in Yekaterinburg following a 15-month absence. Bivol weighed 174.4 lbs on Friday; Eifert checked in at 174.3.

Opponents to teammates.

“I would love to pass the torch to [Jaime] Munguia,” Canelo Alvarez told The Ring’s Rick Reeno during a recent episode of the “Mr. Verzace Podcast.”

Trained by Eddy Reynoso, Alvarez’s longtime coach, Munguia captured the WBA super-middleweight title with a commanding decision victory over Armando Resendiz in May.

Alvarez, who defeated Munguia by decision in 2024, followed his friend throughout training camp and supported him from ringside.

“He learned a lot, he listened, he worked very hard, and he’s a very good guy,” Alvarez continued. “He deserves everything. He puts everything into the gym — you can tell. You saw him in the last fight; he did a lot of different things. We feel very proud of him.”

“I’m not gonna fight Munguia again,” Canelo added. “We’re on the same team. We like Munguia. He’s a great person. He works very hard. We’re never going to fight again.”