WBA Orders Mandatory Title Defenses for Teofimo Lopez and Jaime Munguia
WBA orders mandatory title defenses for Teofimo Lopez and Jaime Munguia, giving both champions deadlines to reach deals.
The WBA has decided to place two of its champions on notice, ordering mandatory title defenses that could possibly reshape both fighters' immediate plans. Teofimo Lopez and Jaime Munguia have time until late October to reach agreements with Jack Catterall and Bektemir Melikuziev, respectively. If they don't comply, they may risk the WBA moving to purse bids.
WBA Orders Teofimo Lopez vs. Jack Catterall
Teofimo Lopez recently turned into a two-time welterweight super champion after defeating Ronaldo "Rolly" Romero by majority decision on August 22. This victory gave the former unified lightweight champion another world title to add to his belt. However, his next assignment has already been decided by the WBA.
The sanctioning body has ordered Lopez to defend against Jack Catterall, WBA's regular welterweight titleholder. Catterall earned his mandatory spot after defeating Shakhram Giyasov by unanimous decision in May. The WBA's ruling now gives both fighters time until Oct. 22 to reach an agreement. But if negotiations fail, a purse bid will be forced.
The mandatory defense also throws a wrench into the former lightweight king's plans of pursuing bigger unification bouts. Prior to the WBA's intervention, Lopez was linked to a blockbuster clash against WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia.
Moreover, it would be another shot to challenge the major world title for Catterall, who is 33-2 with 14 knockouts and has reeled in three successive wins after climbing into the welterweight division.
Jamie Munguia Ordered to Face Bektemir Melikunziev
Jamie Munguia is now facing a similar position to where he was before at super middleweight. The Mexican sensation now has to deal with a mandatory defense of his WBA world title in the wake of a May 2 win over Armando Resendiz.
The WBA has therefore ordered Munguia to face undefeated No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger Bektemir Melikuziev, as the camps have until Oct. 21 to negotiate a deal. Melikuziev, the 30-year-old Uzbek contender, has a record of 16-1 and a 59 percent knockout rate, as per the WBA's website. Munguia, on the other hand, has a 45-2 mark with a sensational 74 percent knockout ratio.
Now that both champions have had their mandatory bouts set, the coming weeks could be highly intriguing to see how the next chapter unfolds.
