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The WBA has announced that it will give each of its top six super lightweight contenders a chance to give a 15-minute presentation to make their case for a title shot. Michael Benson, boxing editor for TalkSport, reported today:
"The WBA are set to give each of their top six super-lightweight contenders 15 minutes to tell them why they should fight for the vacant WBA world title. Alberto Puello, Ismael Barroso, Ohara Davies, Sandor Martin, Regis Prograis and Batyr Akhmedov will make their case."
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Josh Taylor was recently stripped of his WBA Super Lightweight Title. As the belt is now vacant, a title fight will be made between two contenders rather than a champion and challenger. The list of candidates does not include Gervonta Davis, Jose Ramirez, Jose Zepeda, or Jack Catterall, all of whom are listed in the top six junior lightweights by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
Out of the current list of contenders, Regis Prograis and Ohara Davies have previously stepped into the ring with Taylor. Both Prograis and Davies lost to the former champion. Prograis is a former holder of the title but lost the belt to Taylor in their 2019 bout.
The WBA Super Lightweight contenders
Josh Taylor's most recent bout was against Jack Catterall in February 2022. The bout was highly-controversial as Taylor was awarded a decision victory, while many perceived Catterall to be the rightful winner. Following the bout, the British Boxing Board of Control announced that it would investigate the decision.
Taylor's vacation of the title is not related to his bout with Catterall. Instead, he was reportedly stripped of the belt after refusing to agree to a mandatory bout with Alberto Puello. Taylor has claimed that he was not stripped but chose to vacate the title.
The current contenders for the vacant super lightweight (or junior welterweight) title include Prograis, Davies, Puello, Ismael Barroso, Sandor Martin, and Batyr Akhmedov. Puello and Barroso both previously held the sanctioning body's interim title. Puello vacated the title in 2021 and Barroso lost it in 2016. Martin recently stepped into the ring with Jose Felix, defeating him by unanimous decision. Akhmedov has just 10 pro fights under his belt but defeated Barroso in 2018.
