WBC Convention Reveals Canelo Gets Opponent Choice

The WBC wrapped several days of business at its annual convention in Acapulco, confirming a slate of high-profile eliminators and title defenses while drawing fresh criticism over its handling of mandatory challengers.

Among the notable matchups announced, William Zepeda will unify the lightweight title against interim champion Jadier Herrera on March 23, according to Golden Boy, which reportedly avoided a purse bid to stage the bout. Arnold Barboza Jr and Oscar Duarte will meet January 23 in a welterweight eliminator, while super welterweight titleholder Sebastian Fundora is targeting the winner of Jaron Ennis vs Josh Kelly for an undisputed clash, promoter Sampson Lewkowicz told the WBC gathering.

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Selective Enforcement Draws Fire

The organization faced pointed questions over its application of mandatory defense requirements, which officially call for champions to face their number-one contender once per year. Ryan Garcia remains in a voluntary phase despite Souleymane Cissokho winning an eliminator in May 2025, forcing Cissokho to instead fight Alberto Puello for an interim strap. Canelo Alvarez will reportedly choose his next heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight opponent outright, bypassing the process that saw Lester Martinez lose a rematch with Christian Mbilli to clear the path for Canelo's title shot.

On the lighter side of the scales, three-belt featherweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super featherweight champion O'Shaquie Foster announced he wants the winner of Anthony Cacace vs Nick Ball for undisputed status. Naoya Inoue will pursue a clash with Bam Rodriguez while Junto Nakatani faces Ramon Cardenas for an interim bantamweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super bantamweight belt, as ESPN's Salvador Rodriguez first reported from the convention floor. Takuma Inoue draws mandatory challenger Andrew Cain for his next bantamweight defense.

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The light heavyweight eliminator series will feature Artur Beterbiev, Radivoje Kalajdzic, Ben Whittaker, and Imam Khataev in various pairings as Canelo sets his sights on newly crowned champion Willy Hutchinson. Featherweight prospect Albert Gonzalez will meet Sebastian Hernandez Reyes in an eliminator, matching the rising talent against a fighter who nearly upset Nakatani last year.

Reported via:

• Bad Left Hook — The good, the bad, and the stupid from the WBC convention