LAS VEGAS – The WBO revealed on Friday that its interim junior middleweight champion, current WBA and four-division champion Terence Crawford, will relinquish the interim title as he moves towards a mid-September super middleweight title fight against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
WBO President Gustavo Olivieri subsequently announced that he will recommend Puerto Rico’s unbeaten No. 1 contender Xander Zayas be elevated into mandatory contender position to next fight the sanctioning body’s champion next.
Unified WBO/WBC champion Sebastian Fundora will make the first defense of his belts Saturday night at Mandalay Bay against heavy underdog Chordale Booker on Prime Video.
"I will recommend to the #WBO Championship Committee that current #1 world rated contender, Xander Zayas be designated the Mandatory Challenger in the 154 lbs; if designated, the winner of Fundora/Booker must fight Zayas within 120 days after their bout to discharge mandatory," Olivieri announced in a post on X.
“We will fight anybody. Anybody," Fundora told BoxingScene. "Whoever it is. Zayas, Crawford. We’re ready for all of them,” Fundora said. “I’ve seen a couple of [Zayas’] fights. It’s a good fight. It’s a good Latin fight. He has a good amateur background. I think he was on the team with my sister [Gabriela Fundora, currently undisputed flyweight champion]. I’m looking forward to that one.”
“Extremely excited for this opportunity. I’ve been working hard to be in this position and Puerto Rico will have a new world champion in 2025,” Zayas told BoxingScene.
Fundora’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, told BoxingScene he had already consulted with Olivieri over the WBO’s expected order that a victorious Fundora must fight Zayas within 120 days after Saturday to satisfy the mandatory.
“No problem,” Lewkowicz said. “We need to see what happens in the fight first, but this is fine. We will do it.”
The 22-year-old Zayas, 21-0 (13 KOs), has defeated lesser foes including Damian Sosa and Slawa Spomer in recent fights while performing under the Top Rank banner.
In his statement, Olivieri reported, “we have confirmed Terence Crawford will not return to the 154lbs division,” indicating the WBA will also soon replace him as champion, with Abass Baraou the No. 1 WBA contender and Cuba’s Yoenis Tellez positioned as mandatory and No. 2.
