“Now we need to work on getting the WBO to lift its sanctions against Russia, and then we’ll be able to officially announce that the fight will take place on December 12 in Yekaterinburg,” Titov said, as reported by Darshan Desai.
The agreement resolves negotiations between the promotional companies, but the championship issue remains open. The WBO has declined to sanction title fights in Russia during the war in Ukraine, applying that position when Bivol defended against Michael Eifert at the same venue on May 30.
Bivol’s WBA and IBF belts were at stake against Eifert, while the WBO allowed him to retain its title without defending it. Repeating that arrangement against Smith presents a greater difficulty because Smith is the WBO interim champion and mandatory challenger. His entitlement to face Bivol comes directly from the organization whose belt cannot presently be contested in Russia.
Smith therefore has more at risk than an ordinary visiting challenger. A fight in Yekaterinburg places him in Bivol’s home market, and removing the WBO title from the promotion takes away the main prize he spent years positioning himself to pursue. Smith has traveled for major fights against Canelo Alvarez and Artur Beterbiev, but accepting another away assignment makes far less sense if his title opportunity is reduced to a defense of Bivol’s other belts.
An exception creates a different difficulty for the WBO. The organization withheld its title from Bivol’s May fight in Russia, so reversing course seven months later requires an explanation. The greater commercial value of the Smith fight makes the change look selective unless the broader policy is being removed.
Bivol is already a unified champion rather than undisputed because David Benavidez holds the WBC belt. If the WBO refuses approval and the fight proceeds in Russia, Bivol’s three-belt collection begins separating further. Smith can contest the WBA and IBF titles, but the WBO still must decide what happens to its champion, interim champion and outstanding obligation.
Moving the event to the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia or another neutral location preserves all three title stakes. RCC’s preference for a Bivol homecoming makes that the secondary option, but the promoters may need it if the WBO maintains the restriction it enforced in May.
December 12 may be the working date, and both sides have agreed to the fight, but Yekaterinburg has not been approved. The WBO now controls the part of the deal that RCC and Matchroom cannot settle between themselves.
Dmitrii Bivol And Callum Smith Agree WBO Title Fight
Dmitrii Bivol and Callum Smith have agreed to a date and venue for their WBO light heavyweight title fight, removing the need for the purse bid scheduled by the sanctioning body.
WBO president Gustavo Olivieri confirmed that RCC Boxing, representing Bivol, and Matchroom Boxing, representing mandatory challenger Smith, had completed negotiations.
“Please be advised that the WBO World Championship Committee has received written confirmation from RCC Boxing, on behalf of WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitrii Bivol, and Matchroom Boxing, on behalf of Mandatory Challenger Callum Smith, confirming that the parties have reached terms, including an agreed date and venue for the WBO Light Heavyweight Mandatory Championship Contest.
“The WBO respectfully defers to the parties to formally announce the date, venue, and event details in due course,” said Olivieri on X.
Smith, 36, is finally getting the title opportunity he has waited for, but the financial value remains unknown. Bivol’s two fights with Artur Beterbiev were backed by Turki Alalshikh and carried undisputed championship status. A mandatory defense does not have the same commercial weight.
The venue will reveal more. Saudi involvement may turn the event into another major payday. If RCC Boxing and Matchroom are financing it without that support, Smith may receive considerably less than Bivol and Beterbiev earned from their two meetings.
Inactivity presents another concern for the challenger. He has not competed since going through a 12-round war with Joshua Buatsi in February 2025 and has boxed only twice since suffering a seventh-round knockout against Beterbiev in January 2024.
Bivol, 35, underwent back surgery after his questionable majority decision over Beterbiev in February 2025. He returned in May 2026 and defeated IBF mandatory Michael Eifert by a wide unanimous decision before undergoing surgery on his injured left elbow in July.
The champion has therefore boxed only once since the Beterbiev rematch and must now return from a second operation. Smith has been inactive longer, but neither man enters under ideal conditions. Bivol must show that his elbow permits him to throw combinations freely, while his challenger must overcome approximately 18 months outside the ring.
Those two Beterbiev bouts supplied Smith with a blueprint for troubling Bivol. Sustained aggression denied him room to settle, made him expend energy, and reduced the time available for his accurate combinations.
During the opening six rounds of their rematch, Beterbiev looked capable of breaking Bivol. His work rate dropped from the seventh through the 11th, however. Once he increased the pace in round 12, Bivol again looked vulnerable and close to being stopped.
Smith cannot afford similar quiet stretches. He must cut off the ring, attack the body and maintain the pace instead of following Bivol while absorbing straight punches. Knowing the plan and executing it for an entire championship bout are very different tasks.
At six feet three inches with a 78-inch reach, Smith owns major physical advantages but has not always used them effectively. He often retreats in straight lines before settling behind a static high guard near the ropes. That habit would give Bivol the stationary target he wants for his quick multi-punch combinations.
A counter left hook remains Smith’s best chance of changing the contest with one punch. Landing it cleanly will be difficult because Bivol maintains a disciplined defensive position while jabbing and rarely leaves his chin exposed for the shot that Smith used to stop Gilbert Castillo and Mathieu Bauderlique.
High guards also give Bivol opportunities rather than discouraging him. He can split the gloves with straight punches, attack around them with hooks and leave the pocket before the counter arrives. Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez struggled to interrupt that rhythm once he began controlling the distance.
Their common opponents underline the size of Smith’s task. Bivol neutralized Canelo over 12 rounds and divided two close decisions with Beterbiev. Smith suffered a one-sided decision against Canelo before Beterbiev dropped him twice and stopped him in the seventh. Those results do not decide this contest, but they show that the champion has handled the elite opposition that overwhelmed his mandatory challenger.
At 36, this may be Smith’s final opportunity to win a world title in a second division. That urgency may force him to take risks, yet passive pursuit will not be enough. He needs to use his reach to push Bivol backward, work the body and prevent him from resetting without becoming trapped behind his guard.
Waiting preserved Smith’s mandatory position but took away valuable time near the end of his career. He finally has the opportunity he wanted. Now he must carry out an exhausting tactical blueprint against one of boxing’s most accurate technicians after approximately 18 months without competition.
