According to CBC Secretary Simon Block, who passed on the official document to World Boxing News, the 30 year-old had to prove that he could defend his title against undefeaten Ghanaian Richard Commey by May 3.
Now with Mathews notifying WBN yesterday that his scheduled return from injury is set for May 17, that means the Liverpudlian was just a fortnight over the date to meet the CBC demands.
Although it is no certainty that Mathews and Commey’s promoter’s Francis Warren and Steve Goodwin would have agreed all terms to stage the bout on that night, it still would have given the champion a fighting chance of keeping his belt.
Mathews has since lodged an appeal against the stripping of his title, although WBN has already received another document that states Commey will be seeking an opponent for a shot at the vacant strap.
Commey, 26, will be aiming to improve his standout 17-0, 17 KO record by picking up his first major title in the coming months as Mathews ploughs on with his goal of reaching 50 fights – with five more needed.
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