The WBC has released a big update on its world title picture that clarified all of their near future plans. This gives us news regarding Mikey Garcia’s next move as well as a few other prominent fights. On top of that, Keith Thurman has vacated his WBC welterweight title and more.
- First, now former unified welterweight titleholder Keith Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs) has vacated his WBC welterweight title. He has been inactive too long to remain their champion due to elbow surgery and a hand injury. Shawn Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs) and Danny Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) have been ordered to fight for the now vacant belt. If that fight happens, absolutely no one is going to complain. It is one of the better potential matchups at welterweight. For now Keith Thurman still holds onto his WBA belt.
- Even though reports previously stated that pound for pound elite Mikey Garcia (38-0, 30 KOs) would keep his IBF junior welterweight belt and stay at 140 lbs while vacating his WBC lightweight title, the WBC is saying the opposite. Apparently they expect him to not only keep his lightweight belt, but to next unify it with IBF titleholder Robert Easter Jr (21-0, 14 KOs). That is a big announcement for the WBC to drop if true. English Olympic gold medalist Luke Campbell (17-2, 14 KOs) has been ordered to fight Frenchman Yvan Mendy (40-4-1, 19 KOs) in a rematch of Mendy’s upset win for the right to be Garcia’s mandatory challenger.
- The WBC also ordered Luis Ortiz (28-1, 24 KOs) and Dillian Whyte (23-1, 17 KOs) to meet for the right to become Deontay Wilder’s mandatory challenger. This is an interesting spot for Whyte to find himself in as he has also been ordered to fight Kubrat Pulev for the mandatory challenger position for Anthony Joshua’s IBF belt. He now has two paths to choose from that lead in very different directions. I think Hearn and company would rather Whyte fight Deontay Wilder than do the rematch with Anthony Joshua at this point, but Luis Ortiz is also probably a more difficult path than Kubrat Pulev. I am curious to see what they do here.
- At light heavyweight, the winner of May 19th’s showdown between Adonis Stevenson (29-1, 24 KOs) and Badou Jack (21-1-3, 13 KOs) will supposedly be ordered to fight interim titlist Oleksandr Gvozdyk (15-0, 12 KOs) next. I say supposedly because the WBC has never made Stevenson fight anyone. Why should they start now? There has never been an interim titleholder before, however, so maybe that is the motivation the sanctioning body needs to start enforcing their rules on the Montreal star.
- They also need to clear up an interim title situation at junior welterweight. Titleholder Jose Ramirez (22-0, 16 KOs) and interim titleholder Regis Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs) have until May 4th to agree to terms to unify their two WBC titles before the fight goes to purse bid. This will be a really great, low key matchup between two young rising forces if it comes together like the WBC plans. Top Rank does not want it for Ramirez without building it up first, however. We’ll see if they accept the ruling or come up with an alternate plan somehow.
- Finally, with Luis Nery stripped due to his drug test and weight issues, the WBC needs to crown a new bantamweight titleholder. Apparently they have decided to put the belt on 31 year old French two time Olympian Nordine Oubaali (14-0, 10 KOs). They have ordered him to fight Petch Sor Chitpattana (46-0, 31 KOs) and his comically inflated Thai paper record for the belt. Fighters from Thailand very much traditionally have ridiculous empty records, but this guy’s is one of the best I have seen. Oubaali will get the belt.
