Dmitry Bivol is gearing up for his second outing of 2026 as he fulfils his WBO mandatory and faces Liverpool’s Callum Smith in December.

Should he be successful, a huge fight could be waiting for him in the first half of 2027.

After two legendary fights with fellow light-heavyweight standout, Artur Beterbiev, Bivol returned to Russia in May and outpointed Michael Eifert in a first successful title defence since becoming a two-time champion of the 175lb division.

In three months’ time, Bivol is set to fight in Russia once again, as Smith attempts to dethrone the pound-for-pound star on away soil in Yekaterinburg, providing the WBO permit Bivol to defend their title on Russian land – which they refused to do for his fight with Eifert.

However, despite Smith being a former super-middleweight world champion and an opponent that is capable of springing the upset, many fight fans are disappointed that a trilogy showdown with Beterbiev will not take place this year.

Yet, German Titov, CEO of RCC Boxing Promotions, told the ‘Dovish Borca 5’ podcast that the clash is now being targeted for April 2027 at the RMK Arena, which is currently under construction in Chelyabinsk.

The show would mark the opening event of the 8,000-capacity RMK Arena, which is expected to be complete in the spring and is specially designed for basketball, volleyball and combat sports.

On the podcast, Titov also said that Bivol-Beterbiev III was being targeted for this December elsewhere in Russia, but explained that Bivol would have subsequently lost his WBO title for accepting the bout without first defeating Smith – a consequence that the unified world champion refused to accept.