Former absolute world champion American Teofimo Lopez (16-1, 12 KOs) will get a chance to fight in the WBA eliminator if he defeats Mexican Pedro Campa (34-1-1, 34-1-1, 23 KO).
Fight Lopez – Campa and a drunken conflict with Mike Tyson – representation of this fight
Everything is simple here. Earlier we talked about the fact that the Spaniard Sandor Martin (40-2.1 3 KOs) refused to fight with the British Ohara Davis (24-2, 17 KOs) for the title of mandatory challenger (OP) for the now vacant title (it will be played on August 20 in face-to-face fight between Dominican Alberto Puello and Russian Batyr Akhmedov).
The right to fight in the eliminator passed to the next fighter in the top 15 according to the WBA – Olympic medalist from Uzbekistan Shahram Giyasov (13-0, 9 KOs). But he did what we expected – he also refused (because he moved up the division and even won the title there).
Lopez is next in the WBA rankings. But to be honest, we would bet that he would refuse.
First, Davis has previously collaborated with MTK Global Daniel Kinahan. It’s no secret that Lopez’s promoter Bob Arum (Top Rank) refuses to cooperate with the fighters from this office.
And secondly, the obligatory challenger will have to wait a long time for the title chance, because this place has already been taken – the first to go to the winner of the Puello vs Akhmedov fight is the current OP, age-old Ismael Barroso from Venezuela (he, however, can be bought with generous compensation).
The WBA has finally officially stripped its “super champion” in the second flyweight (up to 52.2 kg) legendary Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada (42-3, 28 KOs) of the title – he refused to fight with the WBA World belt holder American Joshua Franco (18 -1-2, 8 KOs).
They don’t seem to plan to upgrade the “regular” champion to “super”, they left it in the status of the “only champion of the division” (apparently, according to the same principle as the Ukrainian Artyom Dalakyan at 50.8 kg).
Estrada, as expected, will enter the third fight with the no less legendary Nicaraguan fighter Roman Gonzalez (51-3, 41 KOs). This fight (without full titles on the line, but with WBC Franchise, The Ring and lineal champion status) is said to take place in December.
But the fight between the “super” and “regular” WBA featherweight champions (up to 57.2 kg) between the Mexican Leo Santa Cruz (38-2-1, 19 KOs) and the British Lee Wood (26-2, 16 KOs) ), it looks like it will happen.
Earlier, Wood’s team was ready to withdraw from the negotiations, as they were not satisfied with the WBA’s offer to distribute the prize fund – 75/25 in favor of Santa Cruz.
But the promoters of both fighters (respectively Tom Brown of TGB Promotions and Eddie Hearn from Matchroom Boxing) will take part in the auction, which will take place today.
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