WBO Russia Ban Threatens Bivol-Smith Title Fight

Menu Results Schedule Rankings Tickets Trending Forum Contact Us Menu Rankings Schedule Results Boxing Live WBO Russia Ban Threatens Bivol-Smith Title Fight By Boxing News 24 Desk - 08/28/2026 - Comments Dmitrii Bivol and Callum Smith are targeting December 12 for their light heavyweight title fight in Yekaterinburg, Russia, but the location requires an exception from the WBO before the bout can be formally announced.

RCC Boxing and Matchroom reached terms this week, causing the WBO to cancel Thursday’s scheduled purse bid. German Titov of RCC has now identified the date and the remaining obstacle.

“Now we need to work on getting the WBO to lift its sanctions against Russia, and then we’ll be able to officially announce that the fight will take place on December 12 in Yekaterinburg,” Titov said, as reported by Darshan Desai.