The WBC released the following update on its championship and mandaory situations in the seventeen main weight classes:
Heavyweight. Champion Tyson Fury will have the option to fight [three-belt champion] Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed world championship. The winner will be committed to fight the WBC mandatory. Andy Ruiz will fight Deontay Wilder in a final eliminator for the mandatory position.
Cruiserweight. Champion Ilunga “Junior” Makabu has a voluntary defense, and then after that, a mandatory against Noel Mikaelyan. Thabiso Mchunu vs. Badou Jack in a final eliminator.
Light Heavyweight. Champion Artur Beterbiev fights the WBO mandatory defense against Britain’s Anthony Yarde in January and the winner must fight next the WBC mandatory Callum Smith.
Super middleweight. World champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has undergone surgery and is having rehab on his left wrist. David Benavidez, who is WBC interim champion, will fight Caleb Plant in March. The winner becomes the mandatory challenger.
Middleweight. Champion Jermall Charlo has been injured. Interim champion Carlos Adames, who was at the convention, asked to be made the mandatory challenger. Both will make a voluntary defense and the winners will fight each other for the full WBC middleweight championship.
Junior Middleweight. Champion Jermell Charlo will make his WBO mandatory against Tim Tzsyu. Meanwhile, unified women's champion Alycia Baumgardner, who’s trained by Tony Harrison, proposed a fight between interim champion Sebastian Fundora and former champ Harrison for the mandatory position. Number 5 Charles Conwell to fight number 9 Juan Carlos Abreu as semi-final eliminator. But Charlo suffered a broken hand and the Tszyu fight has been postponed, so Fundora can make a voluntary defense.
Welterweight. The Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford unification fight didn’t materialize, so Spence will defend his title vs. WBC mandatory vs. Keith Thurman.
Junior Welterweight. Regis Prograis defeated Jose “Chon” Zepeda fight for the vacant title. Teofimo Lopez defeated Sandor Martin in a [ten-round] final eliminator fight. The first mandatory vs. Jose Carlos Ramirez was ordered but Ramirez decided not to participate. Consequently, Prograis has been awarded a voluntary defense.
Lightweight. World champion Devin Haney will fight Vasiliy Lomachenko. WBC ordered a final elimination between Isaac Cruz and Shakur Stevenson.
Super featherweight. Featherweight champion Rey Vargas moves up to fight O’Shaquie Foster for the vacant crown. The winner then has a mandatory against Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez. A final elimination was ordered between Robson Conceicao vs. Muhammadkhuja Yakubov for the second mandatory.
Featherweight. Champion Rey Vargas moved up in weight [for at least one fight]. After the Foster fight at featherweight, Vargas must decide if he wants to stay at super feather or go back down to featherweight. A final elimination was ordered between Isaac Dogboe vs. Mark Magsayo.
Super bantamweight. Champion remains Stephen Fulton. Final eliminator between Luis Nery and Azat Hovhannisyan was ordered. David Picasso vs Raeese Aleem was also ordered as a final elimination.
Bantamweight. Champion Naoya Inoue defeated Paul Butler thus becoming the undisputed world champion of the division. If Inoue moves up in weight, Jason Moloney and Nonito Donaire will fight for the vacant title. If not, this match will produce the mandatory challenger. Nawaphon Kaikhana vs. Reymart Gaballo was ordered for the second elimination.
Super flyweight. Juan Francisco “Gallo” Estrada defeated Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez for the vacant WBC title. Andrew Moloney vs. Pedro Guevara was ordered for the mandatory.
Flyweight. Champion Julio Cesar Martinez's fight against McWilliams Arroyo has been postponed six times. Martinez defeated Samuel Carmona in a voluntary defense in December. Now McWilliams is injured. Angel Ayala was confirmed as mandatory. However, McWilliams Arroyo has been medically cleared and Martinez vs. Arroyo will take place next with the winner fighting Ayala.
Light Flyweight. Champion Kenshiro Teraji defended his WBC belt last week. Hekkie Budler is confirmed as mandatory.
Strawweight. Champ Panya Pradabsri awaits the victor of an elimination bout between Luis Castillo and Ayanda Ndulani.
