Anthony Olascuaga will have to wait out a purse bid hearing to determine the course of his first title defense.
The recently crowned WBO flyweight titlist was unable to reach terms with Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez for an ordered bout. The matter is now the subject of a purse bid hearing, which is scheduled for Aug. 9 at WBO headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Interestingly, both fighters are promoted by Felix ‘Tutico’ Zabala’s All Star Boxing, Inc. Los Angeles’ Olascuaga is also co-promoted by Mr. Honda’s Teiken Promotions.
Olascuaga (7-1, 5 knockouts) claimed the vacant WBO 112-pound title in a spectacular fourth-round knockout of Riku Kano on July 20 in Tokyo.
The bout was the third straight in Tokyo for Olascuaga. His lone defeat came in a ninth-round stoppage to then-RING/WBC/WBA 108-pound champion Kenshiro Teraji (23-1, 14 KOs) last April 8 at Ariake Arena. He took the fight on nine days’ notice, replacing Gonzalez (28-3-1, 14 KOs) who fell ill and had to withdraw from the planned unification bout.
Gonzalez held the WBO junior flyweight title at the time. His 32-month title reign saw just three defenses,. Injuries, illness and poor negotiating habits stalled his progress until he outgrew the division. The 33-year-old southpaw from Caguas, Puerto Rico vacated the title in June.
In exchange, Gonzalez was granted a mandatory position at flyweight—a practice commonly afforded WBO titleholders.
The purse split will either be 75/25 or 80/20 in Olascuaga’s favor, depending on the location. The latter payout would go into effect if the fight lands in Puerto Rico. Otherwise, it will be 75/25 for anywhere else in the world.
Olascauga is The Ring’s No. 8-rated flyweight. Gonzalez is currently No. 1 at 108 by The Ring, but that will change with his next ring appearance.
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