This week, the IBF officially ordered Artur Beterbiev, the undisputed supremacy of the 175-pound light heavyweight division, to enforce a title defense in his next bout against Michael Evert from Germany. The IBF's order means that Beterbiev's rematch with Dmitry Bivol is blocked, so he has to make a decision on the relevant issues.
For Evert, fans can't help but ask: Who is he?
Nicknamed "Diesel," Evert is unremarkably ranked 25th in the world, with a 13-1 professional record, five knockouts, and a knockout rate of just 38 percent.
Evert's brightest moment to date came in 2023 when he defeated 40-year-old former world champion Jean Pascal to qualify for the IBF's mandatory challenge, and his last bout was in August this year, when he defeated Carlos Eduardo Jimenez, who had a 12-4 record.
Boxing columnist Jake Donovan admits that the IBF order puts Beterbiev VS Bivol rematch in question!
Next, Beterbiev and his team had the following options:
1. Insist on a rematch with Bivol, give up or be stripped of the IBF belt.
2. Choose to fight Evert and still have all the titles in your division.
3. Negotiate with the IBF and pay Evert a concession fee to make the resumption of the match with Bivol smoothly.
Many fans have the question of whether it is really necessary for Beterbiev to fight Evert based on his strength and experience. Is the undisputed title so important to Beterbiev? After all, Beterbiev made history with his victory over Bivol, and it doesn't matter if he continues to hold all the belts, and even losing one of these titles won't affect his status in his field.
IBF has always been very strict on the issue of mandatory title defense and challenge, which is nothing more than whether the fighters launched are eye-catching, which is also an important reason why they have been complained about by the outside world. A fan commented: According to Evert's actual condition, he is more like a sparring partner for Beterbiev than a forced challenger. However, there are also fans who believe that Beterbiev needs to keep all 4 belts and not give Bivol another chance, because Beterbiev wanted to fight Bivol a few years ago, but the opponent has been evasive, and now Beterbiev has defeated Bivol at the age of 39, why should he achieve a rematch at a young age?
At present, in order to be able to rematch with Beterbiev, Bivol has taken quick action, not long ago appealed to the WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO at the same time, hoping to directly approve the rematch with Beterbiev, but unfortunately only a day later, Bivol waited for the news that the IBF asked Beterbiev to force the defense of the title, and it seems that his appeal was not taken into account by the IBF at all.
Putting aside some kind of agreement between Beterbiev and IBF and Ivert, if he insists on a rematch with Bivol, he will likely lose the IBF title, and even if Bivol succeeds in revenge, he will not be the undisputed hegemon of light heavyweight.