by David P. Greisman
The World Boxing Organization has called for a purse bid for a bout between newly crowned 154-pound titleholder Demetrius Andrade and British contender Brian Rose.
The purse bid was initially scheduled for this Thursday, Jan. 16, but instead will be held on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 11 a.m. (which is 10 a.m. Eastern Time) at the WBO's headquarters in Puerto Rico, according to the sanctioning body's website.
Negotiations began about two months ago. The minimum bidding amount is $200,000.
The WBO title at 154 pounds had been vacated after then-titleholder Zaurbek Baysangurov got injured prior to a bout with Andrade. In November, Andrade beat Vanes Martirosyan by split decision to pick up the belt.
The most recent WBO ratings from Dec. 10 had Rose at No. 1, Miguel Cotto at No. 2, James Kirkland at No. 3 and Charlie Ota at No. 4.
Andrade, 25, is now 20-0 with 13 knockouts. Rose, 28, is 25-1-1 with 7 KOs and is coming off a debatable split decision win over Javier Francisco Maciel in October.
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