Dmitry Bivol is on the mend and recovering from surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.

The Ring and unified light heavyweight champion Bivol aims to return to the boxing ring in the first quarter of 2026. When he does, "Dima" doesn’t want to take the path of least resistance.

“I met with Dmitry and had dinner with him recently,” Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn told The Ring. “The big thing and key with him is that he just wants big fights, big money, and true tests. David Benavidez and Artur Beterbiev are true tests, but they are very dangerous fights. He's a chill guy, but he's not interested in a random fight. He wants Canelo Alvarez, Benavidez, Beterbiev, maybe Jai Opetaia. He just wants the challenges. I'm sure we'll have him back in a big fight soon.”

Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) fought just once in 2025. The 34-year-old Russian avenged his 2024 majority decision defeat against Beterbiev in February by unanimous decision, becoming the undisputed champion at 175 pounds.

By April, Bivol would end up vacating his WBC title instead of pursuing a fight against interim champion David Benavidez because it was believed at the time that Bivol would face Beterbiev in a trilogy.

In July, the IBF ordered Bivol to face mandatory challenger and No. 1-ranked contender Michael Eifert, and by August, Bivol went under the knife to take care of the lingering back injuries that had been nagging him for nearly 10 years, he said.

Bivol is The Ring’s No. 4-ranked pound-for-pound fighter and was the 2021 Fighter of the Year after beating Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, both by unanimous decision.