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Callum Smith denied world title shot at Dmitry Bivol by WBO
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British light heavyweight Callum Smith will have to wait for his shot at the WBO world title, despite his status as a mandatory challenger.
Liverpudlian Smith earned his status as a mandatory fight for current WBO belt holder Dmitry Bivol after defeating Joshua Buatsi in February to become the organisation’s interim champion at light heavyweight.
Bivol became undisputed champion at 175 pounds when he defeated Artur Beterbiev in a rematch, setting up the possibility of a rubber match between the two greats of the light heavyweight division.
A third fight has been pursued by Bivol and Beterbiev, with the WBO agreeing that Bivol does not need to defend his title against Smith in order to allow the trilogy match to be made. Smith had made a formal request to the WBO to enforce his mandatory status.
Taking to Twitter, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri shared: “The WBO Championships Committee has resolved that it is in the best interests of boxing and, most importantly, the fighters themselves to permit the highly anticipated Beterbiev/Bivol Trilogy to proceed as planned. Accordingly, this decision overrides the enforcement of the WBO mandatory obligation in the Light Heavyweight Division.”
The WBO also stated that they were in no position to enforce the obligation, as they were behind the IBF in the rotation for mandatory challengers. That is in stark contrast to the WBC, who stripped Bivol of his title after he chose to pursue a trilogy fight with Beterbiev over facing David Benavidez.
Olivieri explained: “Furthermore, even under the assumption that the WBO mandatory is due, the established rotation system agreement among the recognised sanctioning bodies dictates that the IBF mandatory is next in line. The WBO will respect and adhere to such order, ensuring alignment with the agreed rotational framework. As a result, Interim Champion Callum Smith will retain his status as the WBO mandatory challenger and, in the interim, is authorised to participate in voluntary bouts.”
Whilst the IBF has not enforced its mandatory status since 2021, the WBO believes it is in the best interests of the sport to allow a third match between Bivol and Beterbiev to go ahead.
The WBO president continued: “This ruling underscores the exceptional significance of the Beterbiev/Bivol trilogy, a bout widely regarded as one of the most compelling matchups in contemporary boxing between two of the sport’s elite competitors.”
Smith is now searching for an opponent, with reports that talks have begun with fellow Briton Anthony Yarde for a bout in August.
However, no deal has yet been reached.
Olivieri went on to confirm that if Yarde was to be victorious over Smith, then he would become the new interim champion, and as such, the mandatory challenger for the WBO light heavyweight title.
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