Mikkel Kessler, through his promoter, Sauerland Event, made a request to the WBO Championship Committee to get appointed as the mandatory challenger, and to hold the #1 position in the rankings at super middleweight, as per his outstanding victory over #6 and former WBO Inter-Continental champion Mehdi Bouadla (22-4) on June 4, 2011. The WBO approved Kessler's request, making him the mandatory challenger to champion Robert Stieglitz.