BoxingScene.com has been advised that WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney (24-0, 15 KOs) has been ordered to make a mandatory defense against Javier Fortuna (35-2-1, 24 KOs).
If there is no agreement reached between the two sides, then a purse bid will take place on December 13 in Mexico City .
Haney made his first defense last Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles, when he dominated unbeaten Alfredo Santiago over twelve rounds on the KSI-Paul Logan undercard.
In September, Haney captured the WBC’s interim-lightweight title with a fourth round stoppage of Zaur Abdullaev.
As holder of the interim-belt, Haney was in line to fight the WBC’s full champion, Vasiliy Lomachaneko.
Haney was automatically elevated to full champion when the sanctioning body made Lomachenko their “franchise” champion at lightweight. The franchise champion has no mandatory obligations and more importantly is unable to lose the “franchise” status if defeated.
Because he was elevated to full status without a fight, Haney is obligated to make two mandatory defenses. Fortuna is the first.
Fortuna is a former WBA super featherweight champion. He lost the title by way of an upset knockout at the hands of Jason Sosa in June of 2016. Fortuna was ahead in the fight when he seemed to fade in the second half and was stopped in the eleventh.
Since that loss, he won six of his last seven fights. His other defeat was by way of a controversial twelve round split decision loss to Robert Easter in January 2018. There was also four round no-contest with Adrian Granados at junior welterweight in June of 2018, when Fortuna fell out of the ring and suffered an injury.
Fortuna became the WBC’s mandatory challenger on November 2, when he blew away Jesus Cuellar in two rounds of a final eliminator.
–boxingscene.com
