WBO Permits Bivol-Beterbiev Trilogy, Postponing Callum Smith’s Mandatory Title Shot

The WBO committee has decided to enable master of the light heavy weight Dmitry Bivol to combat its trilogy match with Artur Beterbiev, instead of defending himself against the mandatory challenger Callum Smith next. The interim WBO champion Smith (31-2, 22 KOS) can lead a voluntary struggle next. The WBO finds that fans are fighting the interest of the trilogy between Bivol (24-1, 22 Kos) and Betlerbiev (21-1, 20 Kos). Bivol won the remaining with a majority decision with 12 rounds through the results 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114.

Where is new blood?

The US box audience is fed up with seeing Bivol and Betterbiev. You want a new blood to get a chance, but not necessarily callum. He fought against the former IBF, WBC, WBO champion Beterbiev in January last year and was eliminated in the seventh round. American fans want to see how David Benavidez and David Morrell have a gap to fight for the world title 175 against Bivol instead of fighting him a third time in a row.

When Champions fight the same person three times, it is unfair for competitors to wait for their occasion to fight a world championship title. These fights eat for two years and that’s a long time. Who should say that Turki Alalshikh decides to see an immediate fourth struggle between Bivol and Betlerbiev when he decides? How often insists that Bivol and Betterbiev continue to fight? There must be new rules to prevent Champions from fighting against the same candidate repeatedly, since it is boring at some point.

No space for growing?

In addition, it is the growth of sport because the fans only see the same two fighters in the retreats that extend in years. Imagine this happens in other sports, in which the team owners decide that they want to have three consecutive Super Bowls or NBA playoffs with the same teams just because their games were competitive. That would hurt the leagues. It does the same in boxing.

Subject: WBO light heavyweight mandatory

1. The WBO championship committee has decided that it is in the best interest of boxing and especially the fighters themselves to be able to proceed as planned as planned.

– Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@Olivierilaw) May 14, 2025