Envelope Day In San Juan
Right then — tomorrow morning at the WBO's offices in San Juan, the Bivol vs Callum Smith saga finally produces a number. The purse bid is set for Thursday, August 27, streamed live on the WBO's own platforms, and whoever puts the most money on the table wins the right to stage the mandatory defence of Dmitry Bivol's light heavyweight title against interim champion Callum Smith.
We covered the collapse of negotiations when the bid was ordered — a 20-day window, extensions on top, and still no deal. Since then the interesting bit has been the geography. Reports this week have serious interest in staging the fight in Monaco, with Russian money also circling hard. When two site deals start bidding against each other before the envelopes even open, the purse can end up somewhere nobody expected. Good news for both men's bank accounts — if the fight actually happens.
The Vacate Question Will Not Go Away
And that is the rub. Eddie Hearn has said it plainly and I believe him: Bivol's preferred path is the trilogy with Artur Beterbiev, one apiece as they are, and every belt he holds is a complication in making it. A purse bid win by a promoter Bivol has no relationship with makes walking away easier, not harder. Champions do not tend to fight mandatories they never wanted at prices someone else set.
Where That Leaves Smith
Callum Smith just has to keep doing what he has done all year: stay ready and stay patient. If Bivol signs, Smith gets the biggest fight of his career. If Bivol vacates, Smith fights for the full title anyway — most likely against Joshua Buatsi in a rematch of their February 2025 war, this time with the WBO belt on the line. Either road ends with Smith in a world title fight, which is exactly what a proper mandatory system is for.
My Prediction
Let's not beat around the bush: I said it on Sunday and tomorrow changes nothing. The bid lands, the number is big, and Bivol still walks within weeks to chase Beterbiev with both hands free. Smith vs Buatsi II for the vacant title before the end of the year, in the UK, and I take Smith late. Make no mistake — tomorrow tells us the price of the fight, not whether it happens.