The WBA Championships Committee sent notification to Otabek Kholmatov and his team confirming that he has been named the mandatory challenger in the 126-pound division following his victory over Thomas Patrick Ward in a final eliminator. The Uzbek is now the official challenger to the title currently held by Mexico’s Mauricio Lara. Should Lara decide to make an optional defense, he must seal that agreement before next April 18th. Otherwise, the Championship Committee will issue a mandatory negotiation notice for Lara vs. Kholmatov. Lara won his belt on February 18th by knocking out Leigh Wood in Nottingham, England. WBA rule C.11 reads “a boxer who obtains a title by defeating a champion must defend his title initially and subsequently against the official contender or the leading available contender... [non-heavyweight division] if he is the official contender, within nine (9) months from the date he obtained the title; if he is not the Official Contender, within one hundred and twenty (120) days.”