IBF orders Cesar Juarez-Thomas Ward final eliminator

The IBF has decreed that newly crowned super bantamweight champ TJ Doheny’s next mandatory challenger will be decided by a match between #6 Cesar Juarez and #8 Thomas Ward, who have until Thursday to confirm their availability.

From there, presumably, it’s the standard 30 days of negotiations before a purse bid gets ordered.

Juarez (23-6, 17 KO) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career in January, succumbing to the vicious left hook of Isaac Dogboe in five wild rounds. He’s since picked up a trio of wins in his native Mexico and remains a durable, aggressive, and dangerous opponent for most of the division.

Ward (24-0, 3 KO) debuted as a pro in 2012 at the age of 18 and has fought exclusively in the UK, his most notable victory a technical decision over Jazza Dickens last year. BoxRec has him penciled in against TBA on the undercard of Lewis Ritson’s next fight on October 13th, so it remains to be seen how this order will affect that.