Dmitry Bivol-Callum Smith Official for Dec. 12 in Russia After WBO Approval

Dmitry Bivol’s next unified light-heavyweight title defense is finally official. Bivol will face WBO interim champion and mandatory challenger Callum Smith on December 12 at UMMC Arena in Yekaterinburg, Russia, with Bivol’s WBA, IBF and WBO belts at stake. The announcement ends weeks of uncertainty after the sides reached terms in late August but waited for the WBO to approve the location.

That approval is an important part of the story. The WBO had not sanctioned world-title fights in Russia following the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and the organization did not put its belt on the line when Bivol defeated Michael Eifert in Yekaterinburg earlier this year. The sanctioning body has now adjusted its position, clearing Smith to receive his mandatory shot in Russia. Bivol enters at 25-1 and remains one of the division’s elite technicians, while Smith is 31-2 and earned the interim belt by defeating Joshua Buatsi in February 2025.

For Smith, this is another opportunity to become a two-division world champion after previously holding a super-middleweight title. For Bivol, a successful defense keeps alive the possibility of a third fight with Artur Beterbiev in 2027. The location, mandatory status and three major belts make December 12 much more than a routine defense: it is a pivotal fight in determining who controls the next phase of the 175-pound division.