The resolution is issued pursuant to Championship Rule C-12 of the WBA Rules, which indicates that a boxer who obtained the title in an Elimination Fight for a vacant title other than the Heavyweight division, must make his first defense in a period of 120 days.
Relikh won the WBA Super Lightweight title, which was vacant, on March 10th against Cuban Rances Barthelemy.
Both parties were duly notified and given a period of 30 days to reach an agreement, otherwise the fight will be called to a purse bid.
The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee also ordered the start of negotiations between Mexicans Daniel Román, Super Bantamweight Champion of the body, and Moisés Flores, Interim Champion, so they can face each other and, thus, continue with the title reduction policy.
This resolution is issued in accordance with the WBA Championship Rule 11, which states that a champion must face an official challenger every nine months. Román won his title on September 3rd, 2017, and his next mandatory defense should take place in June 2018.
For this reason, the Championships Committee duly informed the interested parties, and notified them that they have 30 days to reach an agreement or the fight will be called to a purse bid.
How Roman and Flores got their titles
Román won his championship after beating Japan’s Shun Kubo by technical knockout last year and defended his belt for the first time in February against Japan’s Ryo Matsumoto, whom he defeated by unanimous decision.
For his part, Flores won the WBA Interim title at 122 pounds against Colombian Oscar Escandón and defended it successfully on three occasions. The last time he defended his championship was against Guillermo Rigondeaux, former WBA champion, in a bout that was declared “No Contest”.
