Dmitry Bivol vs Callum Smith confirmed for December 12 in Yekaterinburg

Dmitry Bivol vs Callum Smith has been officially confirmed for Saturday, December 12, at the UMMC Arena in Yekaterinburg, Russia, BoxingScene reported on October 12. Bivol will defend his WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight titles against Smith, the WBO interim champion. The card will stream live on DAZN and is co-promoted by Matchroom Boxing and RCC Boxing.

A long road to the announcement

According to BoxingScene, Bivol had been ordered to defend his WBO title against the 36-year-old Englishman, and a deal was understood to have been reached in August. Yahoo Sports reported that the sides agreed terms in late August, avoiding a purse bid hearing.

The delay that followed was about sanctioning. Yahoo Sports noted that the WBO had not sanctioned title fights in Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and when Bivol fought Michael Eifert in May, the WBO belt was not on the line. The organisation has since changed its rules and is approving Bivol vs Smith, with BoxingScene reporting that the approval took about two months after the deal was struck.

Inactive champions

Neither man has been busy. Bivol (25-1, 12 KOs) and Smith (31-2, 22 KOs) won their belts on the same Riyadh card in February 2025. That night Bivol became undisputed champion by beating Artur Beterbiev in their rematch, and earlier on the card Smith upset Joshua Buatsi over 12 rounds to take the WBO interim title.

In the 20 months since, the pair have combined for just one fight: the 35-year-old Bivol's unanimous decision over Michael Eifert in May after a 15-month layoff. Smith, a former super middleweight champion, was due to fight David Morrell in April but withdrew injured. Morrell instead faced Zak Chelli and was stopped in the 10th round, a result Yahoo Sports called the biggest upset of 2026.

Home advantage

The fight will be Bivol's second straight bout at home in Russia. For Smith, it is a chance at a world title at 175 pounds after he held the WBA super middleweight belt earlier in his career, and a first fight in nearly two years.

Further undercard details are expected to be announced by the promoters.