The WBO has ordered The Ring and unified light heavyweight champion to begin negotiations with interim beltholder Callum Smith, his mandatory and No. 1 contender. President Gustavo Olivieri is giving both sides just 20 days to agree to terms.

“The WBO world championship committee has officially ordered the commencement of negotiations for the WBO light heavyweight championship between WBO world champion Dmitry Bivol & interim world champion Callum Smith,” Olivieri wrote on his X account. “Consistent with the WBO regulations and our longstanding one champion policy, the purpose of this mandatory championship contest is to discharge the mandatory title defense obligation & terminate the interim championship status. The parties have twenty (20) days to reach terms, purse bid proceedings may be ordered if failed.”

If Bivol (25-1, 12 KOs) faces Smith next, that will be back-to-back fights where he was forced into a mandatory.

In late May, the Russian ended a near 18-month layoff by scoring a wide points win against Michael Eifert, his IBF mandatory.

Soon after, Bivol stated that he wanted a third fight against former undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev. The two are tied at one apiece. Additionally, Bivol named WBC 175-pound titlist David Benavidez as another fighter he would like to take on.

Regardless of what Bivol wants to do next, if he wants to hold onto his WBO belt he has no choice but to face Smith.

The former super middleweight champion has been inactive lately. He handed Joshua Buatsi his first defeat last year to win the WBO interim light heavyweight crown.

He was originally set to take on David Morrell on April 18 with the winner becoming the mandatory challenger for Bivol. But a rib injury during training camp forced Smith out of the fight.

Morrell opted to face Zak Chelli on May 9 and would have fought Smith (31-2, 22 KOs) immediately after. Instead, he lost by 10th-round stoppage, forcing the WBO to order Smith to fight Bivol next.