“It’s great to see him back. You saw him take his time in there. I feel like he probably could have got Eifert out of there, but it was great to bank the rounds after a very long period out with injury,” said Hearn to the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel.

“Now he’s been ordered to fight Callum Smith. People are talking about Beterbiev three or Benavidez, but Callum has got to get his shot, so we’ll see what happens.

“We’ll talk to Dmitry and Vadim and the team. If he decides to fight Beterbiev again or fight Benavidez, then it could be Callum Smith against Joshua Buatsi for the world title, which would be a massive fight.

“It’s exciting times, and Dmitry is ready to jump straight back into the biggest fights in the sport.”

Bivol (25-1, 12 KOs) had not fought since February 2025 before returning against his IBF mandatory Eifert. The victory kept hold of his unified titles and immediately reignited debate about which of the available options is most attractive.

A third fight with Beterbiev remains a possibility after the rivals split their first two bouts. Benavidez is another route, potentially creating an undisputed championship fight at 175 pounds.

Callum may have the strongest claim. The former world champion was recently installed as Bivol’s WBO mandatory challenger and is waiting to learn whether he will receive his title shot next.