In the 122-pound division, Marlon Tapales of the Philippines holds the WBA and IBF titles, while Stephen Fulton of the United States holds the WBA and WBC versions. Next month, Fulton will fight world bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue in one of the biggest fights in this weight division's history. Today, the WBA announced it will allow Tapales the opportunity unify against the Fulton-Inoue winner (there is no indication of the IBF's position on this matter). Meanwhile, the man Tapales defeated for the two titles, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, was ordered to face Tomoki Kameda in a WBA final eliminator. Tapales defeated Akhmadaliev last April 8th in a split decision verdict. Matchroom Boxing made a direct rematch request to the WBA and although there are elements that could support it, the WBA determined it is not feasible to do so at this time.