Dmitry Bivol's planned trilogy fight against Artur Beterbiev has another obstacle.

The IBF ordered Bivol to face mandatory challenger and No. 1-ranked light heavyweight contender Michael Eifert, an IBF spokesperson told The Ring on Wednesday.

Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs), The Ring, WBA, WBO, and IBF champion and The Ring’s No. 4-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, vacated his WBC title in April due to his plans to proceed with a third fight against Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs).

It remains to be seen if any serious negotiations will take place between both camps, but it would appear that Bivol would vacate his IBF title as well rather than fight the little-known Eifert (13-1).

The IBF previously ordered Beterbiev to face Eifert after he beat Bivol in October, but then granted an exception before the February rematch because it was for the undisputed title.

Bivol avenged his October majority-decision loss to Beterbiev by beating him by unanimous decision.

Afterward, the WBC ordered Bivol to face interim titleholder David Benavidez. Right before a purse bid was set to take place, Bivol vacated the title, which allowed Benavidez to be elevated to the full title.

Callum Smith, the WBO interim champion, petitioned in May for a mandatory title shot against Bivol, but the sanctioning body denied his request.

Eifert, a 27-year-old from Germany, hasn't fought since August when he stopped Carlos Eduardo Jimenez in two rounds. In his previous fight, Eifert scored a unanimous decision against Jean Pascal in March 2023. The fight was an IBF title eliminator, and Eifert has held his position as the mandatory challenger ever since.

If Bivol ends up vacating the title, Eifert would likely face No. 2-ranked IBF contender Conor Wallace (15-1, 11 KOs).

Neither Eifert nor Wallace is listed in The Ring's top 10 rankings at 175 pounds.