WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was busy on Tuesday, as the president of the sanctioning organization issued several updates pertaining to its various world titles and weight classes.
The most significant was the fact that Keith Thurman, beset by injuries, had vacated his WBC welterweight world title.
Here are the rest of the notable announcements:
The organization ordered a final heavyweight title elimination fight between England's Dillian Whyte (23-1, 17 KOs) and Miami-based Cuban defector Luis "King Kong" Ortiz (28-1, 24 KOs) for the right to become the division's second mandatory challenger behind Dominic Breazeale for the right to challenge titlist Deontay Wilder. Ortiz is coming off a highly competitive 10th-round knockout loss to Wilder on March 3.
Sulaiman confirmed that the winner of the fight between light heavyweight world champion Adonis Stevenson (29-1, 24 KOs), of Montreal, and former titlist Badou Jack (21-1-3, 13 KOs), of Las Vegas, set for May 19 (Showtime) at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto must face interim titlist Oleksandr Gvozdyk (15-0, 12 KOs). In the event the bout goes to a purse bid, the split would be 65 percent to the Stevenson-Jack winner and 35 percent to Gvozdyk.
Junior welterweight world titlist Jose Ramirez (22-0, 16 KOs) and interim titleholder Regis Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs) are in the free negotiation period for their mandatory fight. If they are unable to make a deal, the WBC has scheduled a purse bid to be held May 4 in Los Angeles, with each fighter due to receive 50 percent of the winning bid.
Although there has been no formal announcement from their representatives, Sulaiman said lightweight titlist Mikey Garcia (38-0, 30 KOs), who won a junior welterweight title from Sergey Lipinets on March 10 but opted to return to defend his lightweight crown, will next fight Robert Easter Jr. (21-0, 14 KOs) in a title unification fight.
Also in the lightweight division, France's Yvan Mendy (40-4-1, 19 KOs) and England's Luke Campbell (17-2, 14 KOs) are in the free negotiation period for their title elimination bout for the right to become the mandatory challenger for Garcia. If Mendy and Campbell don't make a deal, a purse bid is scheduled for May 27. In December 2015, Mendy won a split decision against Campbell in a major upset.
Sulaiman said junior lightweight world titlist Miguel Berchelt (33-1, 29 KOs) will make a voluntary defense on June 23, then must face mandatory challenger and Mexican countryman Miguel "Mickey" Roman (59-12, 46 KOs).
With Luis Nery being stripped of the bantamweight title for failing to make weight before a second-round knockout win in a rematch against former titlist Shinsuke Yamanaka on March 1, southpaws Nordine Oubaali (14-0, 11 KOs), of France, and Petch Sor Chipatanna (46-0, 31 KOs), of Thailand, have been ordered to meet for the vacant title. If they don't make a deal, there is a purse bid scheduled for Friday, with each boxer entitled to 50 percent of the winning offer.