Artur Beterbiev only had a taste of his undisputed glory before he heard a shocking official order. He has to fight again. This time, not against Dmitry Bivol, David Benavidez, or some other fighter holding an interim title at 175, but rather a lesser-heard Michael Eifert. His undisputed reign runs the risk of cutting short, and the culprit is again the IBF.

Beterbiev, 39, had a blockbuster fight against Bivol, 33, this month where he edged out the latter and claimed all the marbles at 175. Given the controversial scorecards and the closely contested nature of the fight, the fans have demanded a rematch between the two. The two fighters have also expressed interest in running it back. However, the IBF has other plans, such as enforcing their mandatory rule with respect to Eifert. The German, who previously held the IBF Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight title, is the no.1 contender and the mandatory for Beterbiev’s IBF title.

Rick Glaser turned to his X handle and pitched an idea of conducting two eliminators as a pathway to the undisputed champion. Slamming the IBF strict rules, he wrote, “Undisputed Champ #ArturBeterbiev has been ordered by the #IBF to next face Germany’s 13-1 Michael Eifert. Another example of why the IBF needs to change their obsoleted behind the times rules. When there’s an Undisputed Champ, you should have to do 2 Eliminatiors to be Mandatory.”

IBF’s stringent orders and its persistence in enforcing its mandatory fights have already robbed fans of two undisputed champions this year. First, Oleksandr Usyk had to turn in his IBF strap and then it was Canelo Alvarez. It’s especially harsh when Beterbiev, at 21-0, is the first undisputed fighter in the light heavyweight division in the four-belt era. The IBF’s move not only undoes all his hard work but also derails more ambitious and high-stakes fights.

Bob Arum blasts IBF for spoiling Artur Beterbiev’s celebrations

Beterbiev’s promoter, Bob Arum, took a jibe at the IBF, as he admitted he wanted to sit with Alvarez’s trainer Eddy Reynoso, and discuss the prospects of a potential fight involving Beterbiev and Alvarez. However, with IBF’s latest move, it could be hard to make. To him, the blame lay with the IBF for not letting fighters remain undisputed.

He declared, “These organizations are really destroying the sport by not allowing the fighters to remain undisputed. It’s really sad. The IBF, in particular, gets carried away with itself.” The legendary promoter believed an undisputed fighter should be able to fight whoever he wants and not allowing him to do it affects boxing as a sport. The IBF’s decision will surely disappoint the fans, who were looking forward to a rematch between Beterbiev and Bivol, once again for the undisputed titles.

What do you make of this situation involving Artur Beterbiev? Do you believe the IBF is cutting short the reigns of undisputed champions? Let us know in the comments below.