By Steve Kim
A couple of days ago the WBA announced that their light heavyweight champion, Sergey Kovalev, must face Juergen Braehmer next in a mandatory fight.
Braehmer holds the WBA's 'regular' title at 175-pounds while Kovalev is the 'super' champion. WBA President Gilberto Mendoza Jr. has promised to eliminate the issue of multiple champions at the weight by mandating the 'regular' and 'super' champions to face each other in order to establish a single WBA champion in each division.
Kovalev (30-0-1, 26KOs), who just recently defeated Isaac Chilemba is slated to face Andre Ward (29-0, 15KOs) on November 19th in Las Vegas in a highly anticipated match-up.
Asked if this edict would disrupt those plans, the head of Main Events, Kathy Duva, told BoxingScene.com:
"The WBA has already acknowledged to us that they sent that letter out in error. Sergey fought his mandatory with (Nadjib) Mohemmedi - that was sanctioned by both the WBA and IBF at his mandatory because Mohemmedi was number one in both organizations at the time. So he's not due, it's not up."
Last July, Kovalev dispatched Mohemmedi in three rounds.
So when Kovalev and Ward do meet up (and Ward still has to take care of Alexander Brand on August 6th), the WBA belt will be up for grabs - along with the WBO and IBF titles that Kovalev owns.
"It will be on the line,"stated Duva."The WBA mandatory won't be due till next year."
Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.
