Bermane Stiverne has claimed the vacant World Boxing Council heavyweight title, stopping Chris Arreola in the sixth round to return the prestigious title to a North American fighter. The 35-year-old Stiverne knocked Arreola down twice in the sixth round before referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout at 2:02 of the round, before a crowd of 3,992 at the University of Southern California's Galen Centre arena.
Stiverne has two possible options in front of him - a mandatory defense against dangerous puncher Deontay Wilder or a unification against WBO/WBA/IBO/IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko. When asked about his direction, Stiverne was not exactly looking to give any clues regarding which road he plans to take.
"With all due respect, I don't give a damn about Wilder or Klitschko right now," Stiverne said. "Right now, it's about what I won."
Both Wilder and Klitschko are pushing to fight Stiverne, with the new WBC champion likely going after the biggest monetary offer presented.
