Dimitry Bivol vs Michael Eifert

Here’s another title defence ordered by the IBF that nobody really wants to see outside of Michael Eifert. Not that he is to blame in any way. All he has done is win 13 fights, lose one, and stay on the sidelines until this ordered defence finally happened. The fight that got Eifert to this stage was a unanimous decision win over Jean Pascal in Laval, Canada, back in March 2023. Admittedly, Pascal was past his best at 40, but the name counts for something. There are other fighters with decent records on Eifert’s resume, but there is also a 2020 majority decision loss to one Tom Dzemski for the IBF Youth Light Heavyweight title. I wish Eifert all the best, but aside from his win over Pascal, I have watched a couple of Eifert’s fights, namely his last outing against Carlos Eduardo Jimenez and the Pascal fight, and I can’t see anything that makes him a threat to Dmitry Bivol. Bivol on a wide points decision is my pick, but I wouldn’t rule out a stoppage late in the fight.