Arnold Barboza Jr has been the number-one contender for over a year
The WBO has officially ordered super lightweight contenders Arnold Barboza Jr and Jack Catterall to square off in a final eliminator, giving them 20 days to come to terms and avoid a purse bid.
Negotiations should presumably be straightforward, as Barboza (31-0, 11 KO) works with Golden Boy and Catterall (30-1, 13 KO) works with Matchroom.
Taken in a vacuum, it’s a very solid fight; Catterall floored Regis Prograis twice in his most recent effort, while Barboza recently picked up a clear win over Jose Ramirez to bounce back from an ugly performance against Sean McComb. Won’t be an action fight by any stretch of the imagination, but the clash of styles should make for some intrigue.
That said, it’s weird that this fight is happening at all. Teofimo Lopez hasn’t fought a single mandatory challenger since taking the belt from Josh Taylor in June 2023, instead beating Jamaine Ortiz and Steve Claggett. He’s badly overdue and Barboza has been the number one contender for well over a year; ordering another eliminator while Lopez is healthy makes no sense. WBO regulations state:
Each WBO World Champion except in the Heavyweight Division shall defend his title at intervals not greater than nine (9) months counting from the date of the acquisition thereof or from the last compulsory defense, as the case may be, in a twelve (12) round fight, against the Mandatory Challenger, as determined by the Championship Committee according to these Regulations, unless an exception is made pursuant to these Regulations.
I’ve reached out to the WBO for comment and will update this piece if I hear back.
