WBA orders Barthelemy-Relikh clash

The World Boxing Association Championships Committee ordered this week three big fights, and the respective teams behind the boxers involved must start to negotiate.

In the Super Lightweight division, Cuban Rances Barthelemy (26-0, 13KOs), number one in the ranking, and Belorussian Kiryl Relikh (21-2, 19KOs), second best, must fight for the title at 140 pounds, which is currently vacant. Both teams have 30 days to negotiate, starting from November 6; if they fail to reach an agreement, the fight will be called to a purse bid.

In the Super Featherweight category, the WBA Championships Committee asked the team behind Puerto Rican Alberto Machado (19-0, 16 KOs), current champion of the division, to negotiate a fight with Ghanan Rafael Mensah (31-0, 23 KOs), second best in the ranking at 130 pounds. The teams have 30 days to negotiate, starting from November 6. If they do not agree on a date for the fight, it will be called to a purse bid.

Lastly, in the Welterweight division, the WBA Championships Committee ordered the Thai Tewa Kiram (38-0, 28 KOs), number one in the ranking, and the Argentine Lucas Matthysse (38-4, 35 KOs), third best ranked, to fight for the World Title at 147 pounds, that is currently vacant. Both teams have 30 days to negotiate, starting from November 6, and if they do not reach an agreement, the fight will be called to a purse bid.