A purse bid for the IBF super middleweight eliminator between #3 ranked Evgeny Shvedenko and #8 ranked Vladimir Shishkin has been scheduled for June 15, according to a letter sent out by the sanctioning body earlier today.

The fight, which pits a pair of undefeated Russians, was originally ordered by the IBF back on May 11, 2021, but representatives for both fighters failed to come up with a deal within the mandated window of time. 

Shvedenko is promoted by the Germany-based Fächer Sport Management GmbH, while Shishkin is backed by Michigan-based Dmitry Salita.

“The IBF is ordering a Purse Bid in these offices on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 12:00 PM EST,” wrote Darryl Peoples, the president of the IBF, in a letter addressed to the promoters. “Bids must be submitted at 11:45 AM EST to be promptly opened at 12:00 PM.”

The IBF had initially arranged for Shvedenko (15-0, 6 KOs) to face Kazakh Aidos Yerbossynuly (15-0 10 KOs) in a super middleweight eliminator ­– which had also gone to a purse bid ­– on April 17, but that fight ended up being cancelled after Yerbossynuly tested positive for the coronavirus. Fächer Sport’s winning bid was $301,588.

The winner of the eliminator will become the #1 mandatory challenger for the super middleweight crown, currently held by Caleb Plant (21-0, 12 KOs), who has faced consecutive mandatories in his previous two fights, against Caleb Truax this past January and Vincent Feigenbutz last February. The 28-year-old Plant is considered the frontrunner to fight WBC/WBO/WBA 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) in the fall in what would be a full unification. Alvarez stopped Billy Joe Saunders (30-1, 14 KOs) last May at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  

It is presumed that the IBF will allow Plant to unify before ordering him to face the winner of the Shvedenko-Shishkin eliminator.   

Shvedenko has not entered the ring so far this year. He collected decisions over Artur Osipov and Maxim Smirnov last year in his homeland of Russia. Shvedenko has never fought on American soil as a professional.

Shishkin (12-0, 7 KOs) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Sena Agbeko on February 2 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. He fought twice in 2020. Shishkin trains out of the Kronk Gym in Detroit with SugarHill Steward.