Notebook: WBC finally orders Fury vs. Whyte heavyweight title mandatory
New junior lightweight titlist Ogawa signs with Matchroom; Davis vacates one of his belts; Quick hits; Show and tell
As far as the WBC is concerned, heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will next face interim titlist and fellow Brit Dillian Whyte.
The sanctioning organization on Tuesday ordered the fight, issuing a brief statement.
“The WBC hereby orders the start of the free negotiations period pursuant to the WBC Rules & Regulations for the mandatory bout between WBC World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury and Mandatory Challenger and WBC Interim World Champion Dillian Whyte,” the WBC said.
No other details were given, notable the time frame in which they camps have to negotiate before a purse bid would be ordered or what the split of the money would in the event if does go to a purse bid.
A few days before Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs), 33, knocked out Deontay Wilder in the 11th round of their epic third fight on Oct. 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the WBC issued a resolution stating that the Fury-Wilder III winner would be mandated to next face the interim titleholder, which is Whyte, unless the winner could finalize an undisputed title fight with Usyk within 30 days.
The 30 days came and went with no deal for Fury-Usyk, so the expectation was that the WBC would order Fury-Whyte last month at its annual convention, where mandatory bouts are set in each weight class.
However, the WBC did not order the heavyweight mandatory fight because Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs), 33, filed a grievance under the WBC rules against the organization and they have been in arbitration in the Court of Arbitration for Sport over Whyte’s status as the mandatory challenger and, if he was declared mandatory, what the split would be.
The WBC concluded its convention saying it would wait to make any mandatory order until the Whyte arbitration was over.
“In light of the pending arbitration, the WBC is not making any pronouncement at this time and will provide information once appropriate,” the sanctioning body said at the end of the convention.
When the WBC ordered Fury-Whyte on Tuesday it did not say if the Whyte case had been settled.
Despite the mandatory order, there have been conversations behind the scenes in an effort to get former unified titlist Anthony Joshua to step aside from the immediate rematch clause he invoked after losing to Usyk in September so as to pave the way for Fury and Usyk to meet for the undisputed title with Joshua getting a shot at the winner.
Ogawa signs with Matchroom
Newly crowned IBF junior lightweight world titlist Kenichi Ogawa has signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing (in association with Japan’s) Teiken Promotions, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn announced on Tuesday.
In his second shot at a world title, Ogawa (26-1-1, 18 KOs), 33, of Japan, claimed the vacant 130-pound belt via unanimous decision over Azinga Fuzile on Nov. 27 in New York on the Teofimo Lopez-George Kambosos Jr., undercard. Ogawa dropped Fuzile twice, in the fifth and 12th round.
“I am happy to be joining Eddie Hearn and Matchroom,” Ogawa said. “It was a great night in New York, and I was so thrilled to win the belt in a great fight with Fuzile. I look forward to getting back in the ring soon to defend the title, on my way to win more belts.
“With Teiken Promotions, Matchroom and DAZN, we will be able to make big fights and perform all over the world. I am so excited for the fights that can come in 2022 and beyond.”
Ogawa would like to have a unification fight with one of the other titleholders at 130 pounds. They are currently held by Shakur Stevenson (WBO), Oscar Valdez (WBC) and Roger Gutierrez (WBA).
“Kenichi was fantastic in his world title win over Azinga Fuzile in New York, an exciting all-action display that really caught the eye on a spectacular night in the Big Apple,” Hearn said. “There are some huge fights to be made in the division and Kenichi can excite fans all over the world. I am sure that he will get the chance to add more belts to his IBF strap in 2022.”
Quick hits
The WBA announced that Gervonta Davis, who held the organization’s secondary belts at lightweight and junior welterweight, notified it that he is vacating his junior welterweight title and keeping his lightweight belt. Prior to defending his lightweight belt by unanimous decision against Isaac Cruz on Sunday, Davis asked for and was granted permission by the WBA to have five days after the fight to decide which title he would keep. By vacating the belt at junior welterweight the WBA now has just one titleholder in the division, undisputed champion Josh Taylor, who also holds the WBC, WBO and IBF titles, as it continues to follow through on its title reduction plans.
The WBA has two purse bids scheduled for Thursday at 11 a.m. ET in Miami. One is for the fight between “regular” heavyweight titlist Trevor Bryan (21-0, 15 KOs) and Mahmoud Charr (32-4, 18 KOs), the titleholder “in recess.” Because of repeated difficulties getting this fight done, the WBA ruled there will be no extensions allowed and instead of the winning promoter having to put up 10 percent of the winning bid at the purse bid they must put up 25 percent. Also, bidders must appear in person — no more video conferences, electronic or phone bids. The fighters each get 50 percent of the winning bid. The other purse bid is for the mandatory bout between welterweight titlist Yordenis Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) and mandatory challenger Eimantas Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs), the winner of which is mandated to face “regular” titlist Radzhab Butaev (14-0, 11 KOs) in the final of the four-man box-off designed to have just one WBA titlist in the division. Ugas gets 75 percent and Stanionis 25 percent of the winning bid.
WBA cruiserweight titlist Arsen Goulamirian (26-0, 18 KOs), 34, of France, will defend his belt against mandatory challenger Aleksei Egorov (11-0, 7 KOs), 30, of Russia, on Friday in Ekaterinburg, Russia, as a late addition to the World of Boxing-promoted card that also includes WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol defending against Umar Salamov. Goulamirian will be making his second defense and fighting for the first time since December 2019. World of Boxing won a purse bid for the fight in August.
Show and tell
Boxing’s “Four Kings” — Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and Marvelous Marvin Hagler — were the dominant forces in the sport in the 1980s thanks to their legendary round robin of fights in which they all fought each other. The series began in June 1980, when Duran upset Leonard via 15-round decision to take his WBC welterweight title, a loss Leonard avenged four months later when he made Duran quit in the middle of the eighth round of the famed “no mas” fight. As the decade came to a close, Leonard and Duran met for the third time in the final bout among the “Four Kings.” Of all the fights between them, Leonard-Duran III was the most forgettable as Leonard dominated to win a lopsided unanimous decision and retain the WBC super middleweight title (even though they fought at 160 pounds). Leonard-Duran III was the last of the nine battles the “Four Kings” had with each other. That fight was on Dec. 7, 1989 — 32 years ago on Tuesday. Here is a site poster in near pristine condition in my collection.
Ogawa photo: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing
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I really hope Top Rank (with Stevenson and Valdez) and PBC (assuming and most likely Colbert wins) doesn't prevent unification bouts for 'Crush Right' Ogawa 💥🥊🇯🇵
Best chance would probably only be if Gutierrez beats Colbert.
Tyson on paper should win this fight but you can never count out the dog in Dillon’s whyte. One thing you can count on good performance or bad he’s always ready to scrap!