An interim champion will be crowned in the WBA World Flyweight division, where reigning champion is Kenshiro Teraji (BMB) with a record of 25 wins (16 KOs) and 1 loss.
The WBA had ordered a final eliminator between No.1 ranked Yankiel Rivera (Puerto Rico), who is undefeated in 7 fights (3 KOs), and No.2 ranked Angelino Cordova (Venezuela), who is also unbeaten with 19 wins (12 KOs), 1 draw, and 1 no contest.
This bout has now been officially scheduled as a WBA Interim World Flyweight Title Match, set to take place on August 23 (August 24 Japan time) at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida, USA.
The event will be promoted by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), led by popular YouTuber and cruiserweight fighter Jake Paul (USA), who holds a record of 11 wins (7 KOs) and 1 loss.
Broadcast will be provided by DAZN.
Yankiel Rivera, who represented Puerto Rico in the Tokyo Olympics, signed a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing after making his professional debut in September 2022. He fought three times last year, but has been out of the ring since scoring a fourth-round TKO victory over Angel Gonzalez (USA, 14 wins, 7 KOs, 1 loss) on December 7 (December 8 Japan time) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Hearn had petitioned the WBA to sanction Rivera vs. Cordova as a bout for the WBA interim world flyweight title, but the request was denied. The matchup was initially scheduled to take place on a Matchroom Boxing card in March, but the fight did not materialize and the situation remained in limbo.
Amidst this, Rivera parted ways with Matchroom Boxing and signed a four-fight promotional deal with MVP (Most Valuable Promotions). MVP immediately moved to secure the bout and successfully obtained WBA sanctioning for the interim title. Cordova, who had long awaited the fight, had no objections and signed the contract on June 10 (June 11 Japan time).
On March 30 of last year (March 31 Japan time), Angelino Cordova challenged Julio Cesar Martinez (Mexico, 20 wins, 15 KOs, 4 losses, 3 no contests) for the WBC World Flyweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, USA. Cordova put up a strong performance, but lost by majority decision with scores of 114–112, 114–112, and 113–113.
However, after the fight, Martinez tested positive for S5 diuretics and other masking agents in a doping test conducted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. As a result, the bout was ruled a no contest, allowing Cordova to maintain his undefeated record.
Kenshiro Teraji, who also holds the WBC title, is scheduled to defend it on July 30 at the BUNTAI arena in Yokohama against Ricardo Sandoval (USA, 26 wins, 18 KOs, 2 losses), who is ranked WBO No. 2, WBA No. 3, and WBC No. 4. Therefore, there is no legitimate reason for an interim title to be established.
Nonetheless, the recognition of interim champions has been accelerating in recent years, and it is only a matter of time before interim titles are introduced in all weight classes. We are entering an era in which up to four fighters—super, regular, interim, and champion in recess—may be recognized as world champions in a single division.
On the same card, a 10-round bout will also take place between WBA World Super Lightweight No. 11, IBF No. 12, and WBC No. 14 Jermain Ortiz (USA, 19 wins, 9 KOs, 2 losses, 1 draw) and WBC No. 13 Steve Claggett (Canada, 39 wins, 27 KOs, 8 losses, 2 draws).
The 29-year-old Ortiz suffered his first professional loss in October 2022 when he dropped a competitive 12-round decision to the now-retired Vasiliy Lomachenko (Ukraine), but earned widespread recognition for his strong showing. On February 8 last year (February 9 Japan time), he challenged WBO World Super Lightweight Champion Teofimo Lopez (USA, 22 wins, 13 KOs, 1 loss) in Las Vegas. Ortiz showcased slick boxing skills and effectively neutralized Lopez’s power, but lost a close decision with scores of 115–113, 115–113, and 117–111.
Veteran Claggett, now 36, made his first world title challenge on June 29 last year (June 30 Japan time) in Miami, Florida, against Teofimo Lopez. Although he lost by a wide unanimous decision over 12 rounds, Claggett managed to avoid being dominated and did not allow Lopez to have the highlight moments that many had anticipated.
The WBA continues to have a surplus of titles even in the flyweight division. While one could say it’s just business, it seems that the value placed on world titles differs from that in Japan.
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
https://boxing-master.com/prof/embed/#?secret=x2hdidccEV#?secret=JaONuGYWG5
This article has been translated and published with permission from the original author.
The original content belongs to [Name of author/blog].