Bivol remains the unified light heavyweight champion, though his grip on activity has loosened. Surgery in 2025 kept him out of the ring, and his return has yet to be scheduled. Eifert has waited longer than most mandatory challengers, holding his IBF position since a 2023 win over Jean Pascal that quietly reshaped his career. He stayed active, stayed ranked, and stayed patient. The IBF rewarded that patience by ordering the fight and, now, by enforcing it.
Why Bivol’s delay forces the IBF’s hand
Bivol’s absence changed the tone of negotiations. Champions coming off surgery rarely rush, and challengers with leverage rarely agree to wait indefinitely. That tension sits behind the purse bid order. Under IBF rules, promoters submit sealed bids; the highest bidder earns the right to promote the fight, with purse splits dictated by regulation rather than preference.
Eifert’s position is clear. He has already waited through one cycle. Another delay risks turning a mandatory slot into a holding pattern. For Bivol, the concern is timing rather than opposition.
Crocker and Paro reach the same wall
The welterweight situation follows a similar pattern, though without injury in the background. Lewis Crocker holds the IBF title and remains unbeaten. Liam Paro arrives as a former junior welterweight titleholder, also unbeaten, testing a higher division after his last outing. On paper, it is clean matchmaking. At the table, it stalled.
Neither side closed a deal. That stalemate triggered the same response. Purse bids remove negotiation leverage and replace it with numbers. For Crocker, that means defending on terms set by rulebook math. For Paro, it offers access without concession.
The February 3 session will decide whether these fights move forward or slide again. Once bids open, control shifts. Fighters adjust or wait.
