Dmitry Bivol Dominates Michael Eifert in Dominant Unanimous Decision

World light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol yet again both bedazzled and frustrated against inferior opposition with a wide unanimous decision victory over Michael Eifert inside the UMMC Arena in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

He frustrates because he looks like he could do so much more.

It was a surprise that all judges gave the challenger two rounds when coming up with three scores of 118-107 in Bivol’s favor.

The 35-year-old champion, 25-1 (12 KOs), had been out of the ring since evening the score with Artur Beterbiev in February last year via majority decision; the revenge was completed only four months after Beterbiev, arguably the only befitting rival of Bivol’s career thus far, had won their first encounter in a similar fashion. Bivol, back then, was rightly considered among the best fighters in the sport.

In 2022, the Russian, while a sizeable underdog, handed Saul “Canelo” Alvarez the strictest boxing lesson the Mexican superstar had endured since encountering Floyd Mayweather nine years before. It’s fair to say, then, that Bivol, for a long time, has been ready for lift off.

Even though the IBF No. 1 contender, and considered a viable contender by the WBA, Eifert was out of his depth from the moment this fight was ordered.

A 2023 victory over the shop-worn Jean Pascal was the catalyst for his otherwise inexplicable mandatory placing in the IBF rankings.

If that was the excuse for this contest being made, a sharp counter left hook from Bivol, that dropped a shocked Eifert in the opening round, became the voice of reason. They were, very clearly, levels apart.

To such an extent, in fact, that the WBO refused to sanction this bout even though they recognize Bivol as their 175lbs king.

Though the DAZN broadcast was typically kind about the massive underdog’s chances, particularly as Eifert regained his footing to continue into the second round, it was abundantly clear this was a mismatch.

Then Bivol did what Bivol has always done against this level of opposition. He dominated without exerting himself. Like an experienced driver cruising along a country road with the top down, but never once daring to break the speed limit, Bivol enjoyed his surroundings while always being alert to danger.

Bivol’s jab was so fluid, and natural, he wouldn’t have needed another punch to beat Eifert. Now and again, he showed he indeed had more. Whether balletic feet or a trailing right hand, Bivol’s toolbox was characteristically majestic.

A blow-by-blow report of what followed would waste as much of my time as yours. There were stinging left hooks to Eifert’s body in rounds four, seven, 10, and 12 that threatened to unravel the challenger’s admirable resistance. Pinpoint right hands, to the challenger’s head, hurt Eifert in pretty much every session.

And when he put several punches together that he could end the fight at any moment.

But Dmitry Bivol is Dmitry Bivol. He does what he does and no one, particularly fighters like Michael Eifert, can argue.

Matt Christie, a lifelong fight fan, has worked in boxing for more than 20 years. He left Boxing News in 2024 after 14 years, nine of which were spent as editor-in-chief. Before that, he was the producer of weekly boxing show “KOTV.” Now the co-host of “The Opening Bell” podcast and regularly used in the UK as a pundit, Matt was named as the Specialist Correspondent of the Year at the prestigious Sports Journalism Awards in 2021, which was the seventh SJA Award he accepted during his stint in the hot seat at Boxing News. The following year, he was inducted into the British Boxing Hall of Fame. He is a member of the BWAA and has been honored several times in their annual writing awards.