By Steve Kim
With cruiserweight champion Yoan Pablo Hernandez sidelined with a right elbow injury, the IBF will do something that they rarely do.
"It's one of the few times you'll see an 'interim' champion with the IBF. Hernandez couldn't do his mandatory with the additional medical extension time that we gave him so we ordered an interim title with the two highest guys, which is number three, Ola Afalobi and number four, a kid named Victor Ramirez from Argentina," explained Lindsey Tucker, the Championship Chairman of the IBF, to BoxingScene.com.
Hernandez was scheduled to face the slick Afalobi on December 6th before pulling out of that assignment. According to Tucker the representatives of Afalobi and Ramirez will have a 30 day window to negotiate a deal, and if one is not consummated this fight will go to a purse bid.
The winner of Afalobi-Ramirez will be mandated to face Hernandez, next.
"And if Hernandez is unavailable - and he has up to nine months - and can't fight, then whoever wins that (between Afalobi and Ramirez) becomes the champion,"explained Tucker.