Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez are still being lined up to fight in early 2027 — but it won’t be a title unification. That is because the WBA on Wednesday denied Lopez’s appeal to bypass his mandatory commitment against Jack Catterall.
Lopez (23-2, 13 KOs) was hoping to have his WBA (Super) championship on the line in a potential unification bout with WBC champion Garcia that is in talks for Feb. 6. The WBA, however, denied his petition and reaffirmed its ruling that Lopez must face WBA (Regular) champion Catterall (33-2, 14 KOs) next in a title consolation bout.
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The WBA ruling read:
After reviewing the arguments and documents submitted by both parties, the WBA based its decision on Rule C.17 of its regulations, which grants the Presidency and the Championships Committee the authority to establish the criteria, conditions, and requirements for the defense and retention of a Super Championship, including mandatory obligations.
The resolution also clarifies that unification bouts with other sanctioning bodies may be considered through a special permit, as provided under Rule C.39. However, as of the date of this decision, Lopez’s team had not submitted a formal request for special permission to pursue a unification bout.
Consequently, the WBA reaffirmed that the Super Champion must fulfill his mandatory defense against the mandatory challenger, while acknowledging the need to establish a new timetable since the original deadlines have expired.
Lopez and Catterall have 10 days to reach an agreement or a purse bid hearing may be called. Catterall is promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, while Lopez is aligned directly with DAZN.
Despite the order, it is likely that Lopez vacates the WBA title and fights Garcia next anyway, as it is a far more lucrative bout. Garcia has doubled down on his intention to fight Floyd Mayweather on Feb. 6, but Uncrowned understand that is highly unlikely to materialize.
If Lopez chooses not to fight Catterall, Catterall will be upgraded to full champion in the division.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
