On the second day of the 63rd WBC Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, the WBC's main assembly focused its attention on mandatory defenses in the men's weight classes. Here is the report:
Heavyweight. Champion Oleksandr Usyk can make a voluntary defense. He has already stated his desire to fight Deontay Wilder. His mandatory defense will be determined by a bout between Lawrence Okolie and Moses Itauma [should Itauma accespt, he is also in line for the WBA]. Interim champion Agit Kabayel will fight Damien Knyba in Germany.
Bridgerweight. The WBC's report did not mention the new 224-pound division. Kevin Lerena of South Africa is the champion.
Cruiserweight. The rematch between champion Badou Jack and stripped ex-champion Noel Makaeljian is on December 13th in the USA. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk will be the mandatory challenger, while Ryan Rozicki and Ryad Merhy are vying to be the final contenders. Ex-champ Wlodarczyk is named WBC Ambassador.
Light Heavyweight. Champion David Benavidez has received permission to compete for the WBA/WBO cruiserweight title.
Super Middleweight. The title has been declared vacant after Terence Crawford failed to pay his last two sanctioning fees. His team's lack of communication regarding the 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 determine the mandatory challenger.
Middleweight. Champion Carlos Adames will fight a mandatory defense against Meirim Nursultanov.
Junior Middleweight. Sebastian 'Towering Inferno' Fundora has suffered an injury, so his title defense against Keith Thurman will be postponed until the new year. Interim champion Vergil Ortiz is in talks to fight WBA interim champion Boots Ennis. Fundora will receive a congratulatory certificate after being accepted to study engineering at Harvard.
Welterweight. Champion Mario Barrios will fight Ryan Garcia, and Conor Benn is the mandatory challenger for the winner.
Junior Welterweight. Champion Subriel Matias, who tested positive for Ostarine last month, is on probation, but his defense against Dalton Smith on January 10th will proceed [according to the WBC].
Lightweight. Champion Shakur Stevenson is allowed to move up in weight to challenge world junior welterweight champion Teófimo López for the WBO title. An eliminator for the interim title will take place between number two contender Ricardo Núñez and number three contender Jadel Herrera.
Junior Lightweight. Champion O'Shaquie Foster fights WBC featherweight champion Stephen Fulton. Mark Magsayo and Michael Magnesi, ranked number one and two, will fight a final eliminator on January 31st.
Featherweight. Champion Fulton has moved up in weight. So interim champion Bruce Carrington will face Carlos Castro on January 31st.
Super Bantamweight. Champion Naoya Inoue defends against Alan David Picasso on December 27th. If victorious, the goal is a fight against the also undefeated Junto Nakatani in May at the Tokyo Dome, provided both win their next bouts. A semifinal fight will be held between the third and fourth-ranked contenders.
Bantamweight. The new champion is Takuma Inoue, younger brother of Naoya. Former mult-division champ Juan Francisco Estrada and Tenshin Nasukawa will fight to determine the mandatory challenger.
Super Flyweight. Champion Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez just fought and won. Mandatory bouts are pending.
Flyweight. Ricardo Sandoval is in voluntary defense. So is interim champion Gal Yafai.
Light Flyweight. Carlos Cañizales is unable to travel outside of Venezuela, so he was demoted to champion in recess. Knockout CP Freshmart fights Junior Zárate for the vacant title on the penultimate day of the WBC Convention.
Minimumweight. Champion Melvin Jerusalem is in voluntary contention. Siyakhowa Kuse and Joey Canoy will fight in a final eliminator.
