By Rick Reeno
Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas - The World Boxing Council has approved a tournament style eliminator, at welterweight and junior middleweight, to set mandatory challengers to WBC 147 and 154 champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (47-0, 26KOs).
The proposal, which the WBC approved, is to have the top eight challengers - at 147 and 154 - to face each other in a tournament format until one man, in each division, is set down to challenge for Mayweather's title.
The process (depending on which of the ranked contenders are willing to participate) is likely going to take a year or longer.
The logic is - by the time a mandatory challenger comes through at each weight - Mayweather will either be retired or the mandatory challenger will build a strong enough resume to present themselves as a legitimate challenger to Mayweather.
The tournament decision was also made in order to give Mayweather, and Top Rank on behalf of Manny Pacquiao, to have an adequate amount of time, and no obstacles, for them to reach an agreement for a potential super-fight in 2015.
The tournament idea was presented by promoter Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing LLC and unanimously approved by the WBC's board.
