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From Boxrec
Andre Ward will have his status changed to ‘Champion Emeritus’ by the governing body.
The match between Los Angeles-based Cameroonian Sakio Bika and unbeaten Montenegrin Nikola Sjekloca, currently slated for the WBC interim title at super-middle, will be, in turn, upgraded to the ‘ordinary’/full-fat title.
That bout is set for Atlantic City on February 16th.
Ward withdrew from a scheduled January 26th defence again Kelly Pavlik after the Oakland fighter suffered a shoulder injury. This means, of course, that the WBC can’t earn a sanctioning fee from Ward whilst he’s recuperating. Whether this is linked to his likely ‘promotion’ is not known.
We also understand that the winner of Bika-Sjekloca will be mandated to fight Canada-based Romanian Lucian Bute within 90 days.
Bute had an option to fight Carl Froch in a return (i.e. Froch was contractually obliged to give Bute a rematch after the Nottingham man smashed him in five rounds last May) but Bute, understandably given the comprehensive nature of his defeat, doesn’t seem to fancy going down that route.
From Boxrec
Andre Ward will have his status changed to ‘Champion Emeritus’ by the governing body.
The match between Los Angeles-based Cameroonian Sakio Bika and unbeaten Montenegrin Nikola Sjekloca, currently slated for the WBC interim title at super-middle, will be, in turn, upgraded to the ‘ordinary’/full-fat title.
That bout is set for Atlantic City on February 16th.
Ward withdrew from a scheduled January 26th defence again Kelly Pavlik after the Oakland fighter suffered a shoulder injury. This means, of course, that the WBC can’t earn a sanctioning fee from Ward whilst he’s recuperating. Whether this is linked to his likely ‘promotion’ is not known.
We also understand that the winner of Bika-Sjekloca will be mandated to fight Canada-based Romanian Lucian Bute within 90 days.
Bute had an option to fight Carl Froch in a return (i.e. Froch was contractually obliged to give Bute a rematch after the Nottingham man smashed him in five rounds last May) but Bute, understandably given the comprehensive nature of his defeat, doesn’t seem to fancy going down that route.
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