Promoter Lou DiBella (DiBella Entertainment) claims that in 2023 he plans to significantly increase the level of opposition to heavyweight prospect and Olympic champion Bahodir Jalolov (12-0, 12 KOs) from Uzbekistan: “I want to fight Bahodir in May or June against a fighter from the top 10. I think he’s ready. I plan to give him some solid fights in 2023.”
Colombian Oscar Rivas (28-1, 19 KOs) was stripped of the WBC bridgeweight championship belt – he has not entered the ring since October 2021, due to an injury he will not be able to make a mandatory defense of the belt in the near future.
The organization promises to hold several fights in the division in order to “define a new champion and mandatory challenger.” And in Matchroom Boxing Eddie Hearn posted a video with Croatian Alen Babich (11-0, 10 KOs). It is hinted that it is he who will fight for the vacant belt. Presumably it will be a fight with Riyad Merhi from Belgium or Lukasz Rozanski from Poland.
WBC World Bridgerweight Title shot
@AlenBabic11 camp ready to go pic.twitter.com/dDwTKALaRD
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) January 3, 2023
On January 21 in Manchester (Great Britain) as part of the Chris Eubank vs Liam Smith show, another interesting (albeit local) fight will take place: the British, British Boxing Council, European IBF and WBC International Siver titles will be played by welterweights Ekou Essuman (18-0 , 7 KOs) and Chris Kongo (14-1, 7 KOs).
The EBU claims that on February 11 in London (England), local light heavyweight prospect Dan Aziz (18-0, 12 KOs) will fight for the vacant European champion belt according to the organization with the Frenchman
Thomas Faure (21-4-1, 2 KOs).
In December, the Briton stopped ex-world champion and ex-rival Canelo Alvarez.