Championship & Rating Committees Information on Munguía, Dogboe, Nietes, Ioka and More; Japan to Host Next WBO Convention
Hogan named mandatory challenger for Munguia
In a huge development for boxing fans in Australia, popular junior middleweight contender Dennis Hogan (27-1-1, 7 KOs), the #1 ranked contender at 154 pounds, has unanimously been approved to be named the mandatory contender for undefeated WBO champion Jaime Munguia. However, his status is contingent on him winning his next scheduled fight in Australia against Jaime Weetch (12-2, 5 KOs) on December 15 in Australia.
“Dennis has defended his title, the Oriental Title and the Intercontinental title, and he fought three fighters in the WBO top 15,” commented Matt Rose, who spoke on behalf of Hogan.
WBO orders top four jr bantams to settle vacant title
There are always winners and losers in boxing and unfortunately for hard-hitting junior bantamweight Aston Palicte, he came out short in his quest to get an immediate rematch with countryman Donnie Neites. Palicte and Nietes fought to a twelve round draw last month in a fight for the vacant WBO 115-pound title, a fight that ended in a draw. Roy Jones Jr. Boxing representative Guy Taylor, who was there to represent Palicte, was hopeful that an immediate rematch might have been ordered but discovered that Nietes already signed to fight #3 ranked contender Kazuto Ioka in a fight that was subsequently approved to be for the vacant title.
Taylor’s request to have Palicte fight the winner as a mandatory was also not approved, with the WBO encouraging a matchup between Palicte and WBO #4 ranked Jose Martinez in an elimination fight with the winner getting the mandatory position for the title. Nonetheless although Taylor was visibly disappointed he also expressed confident that Palicte would emerge as world champion when the dust settled.
Navarette named mandatory for Dogboe
Undefeated WBO Jr. Featherweight champion Isaac Dogboe’s upcoming fight with #2 ranked Emanuel Navarette on December 8 had been declared a mandatory defense, a move that gives Dogboe more flexibility in regards to a subsequent title defense assuming he wins against Navarette. With the fight declared a mandatory title defense Dogboe will have nine months after the Navarette fight before he will be required to make a subsequent mandatory title defense. This also opens up the possible world title fight in Ghana in 2019 by giving Team Dogboe more flexibility in solidifying the proposed homecoming. The current #1 contender is Diego De La Hoya, who reportedly did not object to the move.
“I talked to Golden Boy (promoters of De La Hoya) and they agreed.” Dogboe advisor Mike Altamura said of the #1 contender.
Glowacki-Vladov now for WBO cruiser interim title
For Hungarian contender Irme Szello and Sherman based cruiserweight Firat Arslan, the World Boxing Super Series has proved to be a bit of a bitter pill to swallow after they were again shut out of a potential world title fight.
WBO Junior Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, who was slated to fight #1 ranked Tony Bellew, and there was little question that a victory could result in him moving up to the heavyweight division. However, an email request for Chris Meyer of the World Boxing Super Series proved problematic for the two European fighters. Meyer proposed moving the #5 ranked Maxim Vlasov to #1 or #2 and requesting that the WBO approve the Upcoming tournament fight between Vlsov and #2 ranked Krzysztof Glowacki be for the Interim title. It was a proposal that drew fierce opposition from Erik Ceylon of ECB Boxing, who was there to represent #3 ranked Firat Arslan.
“Why not give Arslan the mandatory?” Arslan asked.
His position was supported by WBO Vice President of Europe Istvan Kovacs.
“Both of these guys (#3 ranked Arslan and #4 ranked Imre Szello) have been standing in line for a while,” Kovacs said. “Both of them guys are very old. If you are talking of Vlasov I think he is less deserving then these other two guys.”
However, President Valcarcel stressed that the WBO continues to support unification fights and tournaments like the WBSS.
“The unification supersedes the mandatory,” Valcarcel said.
In the end the board voted in favor of the request by Meyer in classifying the Vlasov-Glowacki fight as a fight for the interim title. Kovacs did hold his ground however and voted against the proposal.
WBO declares elimination fight at the Mini-Flyweight Division
WBO Mini-Flyweight champion Vic Saludar (18-3, 10 KOs), the popular Filipino brawler who won the world title back in July, will soon know who his first title defense will come against. On December 7 NABO champion Wilfredo Mendez, the #7 ranked mini-flyweight, will step into the ring against the #1 ranked WBO contender Robert Paradero in a bout that the WBO has just announced will be established as the mandatory challenger for Mendez (11-1, 4 KOs) will be fighting in front of his hometown crowd but the undefeated Paradero (17-0, 11 KOs) has remained at #1 for over a year and is widely regarded as one of the most attractive prospects out of the Philippines. The winner will be named the mandatory challenger for Saludar.
On the other hand, the representative of the Japanese Boxing Commission Tsuyoshi Yasukochi, asked the WBO to hold the next Convention in Tokyo, Japan. The request was approved by the WBO through the members of the Executive Committee and they chose Puerto Rico as a second option in case it is canceled.
By David Finger / Fightnews.com
