WBC Mandatory Defenses Meeting – 63 WBC Convention

On day two of the WBC 63rd Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, the main assembly turned its attention to the Mandatory defenses.

Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk can make a voluntary defence. He’s already said he would like to fight Deontay Wilder. His mandatory will be determined by a bout between Lawrence Okolie and Moses Itauma. Interim champion Agit Kabayel is fighting Damien Knybe in Germany.

Cruiserweight. The rematch between Badou Jack and Noel Makaeljian is December 13 in the USA. Wlodarczyk will be mandatory challenger, Ryan Rozicki and Ryad Merhy are vying to be final contenders. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk is appointed as a WBC Ambassador.

Light heavyweight. Champion David Benavidez has been given permission to contest the WBA/WBO cruiserweight title.

Super middleweight. The title has been declared vacant after Terence Crawford didn’t pay his last two sanction fees. The lack of communication from his team to correspondence is being seen as a slap in the face. Interim champion Christian Mbilli will fight Hamzah Sheeraz and the winner will face Lester Martinez. Luka Plantic will fight Jaime Munguia to decide the mandatory challenger.

Middleweight. Champion Carlos Adames will, fight a mandatory against Meirim Nursultanov.

Super welterweight Sebastian Towering Inferno Fundora has been injured, so his defence against Keith Thurman will be in the new year. Interim champion Vergil Ortiz is in talks to fight WBA interim champion Boots Ennis. Seb will be sent a certificate of congratulation after being selected to study engineering at Harvard.

Welterweight champion Mario Barrios will fight Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn is the mandatory for whoever wins.

Super lightweight. Subriel Matias who tested positive for small traces of Osrarine which he unintentionally took in supplements is placed on probation, but his defence against Dalton Smith on January 10 will proceed.

Lightweight. Champion Shakur Stevenson is allowed to move up to challenge WBO super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez. An eliminator between number two ranked Ricardo Nunez and number three Jadel Herrera will take place for the interim title.

Super featherweight champion O’Shaquie fights Stephen Fulton who is featherweight champion. Mark Magsayo and Michael Magnesi who are number one and two fight a final eliminator on January 31st.

Featherweight. Champion Fulton has moved up. So interim champion Bruce Carrington vs Carlos Castro on January 31st.

super bantam. Champion Naoya Inoue defends against Alan David Picasso on December 27. If victorious, the aim is a fight against also undefeated Junto Nakatani in May at the Tokyo Dome, providing both win their upcoming bouts. A semi final bout between the third and fourth ranked fighters will take place.

Bantamweight. New champion Takuma Inoue, younger brother of The Monster. Estrada and Nasukawa wiil fight to determine the mandatory challenger

Super flyweight. Champion Jessie Bam Rodriguez has just fought and won. mandatories are pending.

Flyweight. Ricardo Sandoval is in voluntary defence. So is Interim champion Gal Yafai.

Light flyweight. Carlos Cañizales can’t travel outside Venezuela so is champion in recess. Knockout CP Freshmart fights Junior Zarate for the vacant title, on the penultimate day of the WBC Convention.

Straw weight. Champion Melvin Jerusalem is in voluntary stage. Siyakhowa Kuse and Joey Canoy will fight a final eliminator.