The WBO has blocked Russian boxer Dmitry Bivol’s title defense
29 April 19:25
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has decided to bar Russian boxer Dmitry Bivol from defending his light heavyweight world title. This decision comes in response to the Russian Federation’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
This was reported by The Ring, citing a letter from WBO President Gustavo Olivieri, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Reasons for the Ban
“This decision was made due to the Russian Federation’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine,” reads the letter from the WBO president, which was received by The Ring.
The organization will not strip Bivol of his title, but it is prohibiting him from defending it in his next fight.
Despite the ban on defending his title, Dmitry Bivol’s next fight against German boxer Michael Eifert will take place on May 30 at the UMMC Arena in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Only two of the three world championship belts held by Bivol—the WBA and IBF titles—will be on the line.
Bivol’s Position
Dmitry Bivol, 35 , who lives in St. Petersburg, ranks 5th on The Ring’s list of the best light heavyweight boxers. He last competed in the ring last February in Riyadh. In March 2022, at a press conference ahead of his fight against Canelo Alvarez, Bivol called the invasion of Ukraine “a very sad event.”
