Title Defenses Announced
In a surprising turn of events, Rolly Romero, who recently claimed the WBA welterweight championship, is now set to defend his title against mandatory challenger Shakhram Giyasov. This announcement from the WBA comes as a setback for Manny Pacquiao, who had been eyeing a title bout with Romero scheduled for January. The deadline for Romero and Giyasov to negotiate a fight is November 13. Should they fail to reach an agreement, a purse bid will occur, with revenues split favorably at 75% for Romero.
Romero’s Rise to Champion
Romero’s ascent to the title occurred last May when he clinched the WBA (Regular) belt in an upset victory over Ryan Garcia. Following Jaron “Boots” Ennis‘ transition to the super welterweight division, Romero was elevated to the status of full champion. Meanwhile, Giyasov earned his mandatory contender position after a technical decision triumph over Pablo Cesar Cano in a welterweight eliminator back in February 2024, marking nearly two years of anticipation for his title shot.
Featherweight Title Defense
In a related ruling, the WBA also mandated that Nick Ball defend his featherweight title against Brandon Figueroa, the top contender in that category. The parties involved must finalize their negotiations by November 12, or else a purse bid will be initiated, again with a 75-25 revenue split favoring the champion, Ball.
Ball has successfully defended his title three times since winning it controversially against Raymond Ford in June 2024. His latest victory was a unanimous decision against Sam Goodman in August, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With ambitions of challenging renowned fighter Naoya Inoue, Ball must first overcome Figueroa, a seasoned competitor who has previously held the WBC super bantamweight championship and was most recently promoted to full WBC featherweight champion after Rey Vargas was declared champion in recess. Figueroa’s last title reign was brief, culminating in a loss to Fulton in a rematch this past February. He seeks to reinstate himself as a top-tier champion after a recent contentious win against Joet Gonzalez.
Conclusion
These developments signal a shift in the dynamics of both title divisions, potentially altering the future plans for several fighters in the welterweight and featherweight categories.
