By Rick Reeno

Willie Savannah, manager of WBO/WBA/IBF lightweight champion Juan Diaz (33-0, 17KOs), has received an official letter from WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel, giving him three-days (from the date of the letter) to accept a fight with WBO interim-lightweight champ Michael Katsidis (23-0, 20KOs) or Diaz will be stripped of the title. Once Diaz is stripped, the sanctioning body would promote Katsidis from interim to full champion.

Savannah, speaking with BoxingScene.com, says the letter is dated January 3, and it was faxed over by the WBO on January 8, two-days past what would have been a January 6 deadline. The letter cites the terms of last year's purse bid, which gave Diaz until the end of February to defend the title against Katsidis.

Oscar De La Hoya won the promotional rights to Diaz-Katsidis with a purse bid entry of $1.5 million. King, who did not attend the purse bid, has a clause in Diaz's contract which prevents the fighter from participating in any bout where a purse bid is won by a rival promoter. Diaz signed the contract to face Katsidis in the main event of an HBO televised card on February 9. Following a legal letter from King, HBO pulled the plug on the fight.

"I got the letter on January 8. The letter is dated January 3, and it gives us three days to agree to fight Katsidis or Juan will be stripped. They sent the letter to me, Golden Boy Promotions and Don King," Savannah said. "The WBO doesn't want Juan Diaz as their champion, they want Katsidis as their champion. We sent a letter to Paco and said we would fight the guy next, but since they gave us three days from the letter dated January 3, and today is January 8, I assume we are already stripped."

The WBO issued the letter after learning that Diaz signed a contract to defend the WBA/IBF titles against Nate Campbell on March 8 in Cancun, Mexico. Katsidis is slated to fight former champion Joel Casamayor on March 22. Savannah tells BoxingScene that King was unwilling to pay three sanctioning fees for the Campbell fight, so Savannah offered to pick up the tab.

"I don't know why Katsidis would want Juan to get stripped. Juan beat Acelio Freitas and Katsidis has beat nobody. We signed to fight the guy. I sent a letter to the WBO and told Paco we would fight Katsidis next, that we would pay Juan's sanctioning fees and Don King's sanctioning fees for the Campbell fight. We tried everything," Savannah said.

Katsidis' agent, Sampson Lewkowicz, felt sorry for Diaz, but also tells BoxingScene the WBO is simply following their guidelines.

"Juan Diaz is an excellent champion. The WBO is simply following their rules and by-laws. This is part of the game. I feel bad for Diaz, but my kid deserves to be champion," Lewkowicz said.

As far as Diaz (provided he beats Campbell) and Katsidis (provided he beats Casamayor) fighting each other next, Lewkowicz says it won't happen. He views the idea as nothing more than a fantasy. Lewkowicz expects Diaz's next fight to take place in a court of law.

"That fight won't happen. That's a fantasy. Diaz will not be fighting Katsidis next, he will be fighting in a courtroom. Don King will not let that fight happen. He won't let Diaz go away easily," Lewkowicz said. 

Diaz's contract runs out with King on March 31 and Campbell is said to be the last fight on the contract, but sources within King's office have told BoxingScene that another fight obligation exists beyond the bout with Campbell. Savannah has denied the existence of another fight remaining beyond Campbell.