The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has issued a mandate for 140 lbs contenders Richardson Hitchins and Jack Catterall to negotiate a bout, aiming to determine the mandatory challenger for IBF champion Subriel Matias. As neither party has reached an agreement since the negotiations between both parties expired a week ago, the fight is now heading to a purse bid. Notably, since both fighters are promoted by Matchroom, this practically ensures that the fight will take place.
The negotiation period commenced on November 29th and concluded on December 14th without any success. This lack of consensus triggered the purse bid process, and given the exclusive involvement of Matchroom who represents both fighters, the bout is almost certain to proceed pending approval from the fighters themselves. The purse bid has been scheduled for January 2 of the upcoming year.
American contender Richardson Hitchins (17-0, 7 KO’s) and British former world title challenger Jack Catterall (28-1, 13 KO’s) will be competing for the mandatory challenger spot to face Puerto Rican 140 lbs powerhouse Subriel Matias (20-1, 20 KO’s), who currently maintains a 100% KO ratio.
Matias, aged 31, recently secured a victory over Uzbeki challenger Shohjahon Ergashev (23-1, 20 KO’s) on November 25th, forcing Ergashev to quit on his stool after enduring significant punishment. Known as one of the best fighters in the junior welterweight division, Matias will have enough time to recover from his reported injury before he faces the winner of the mandatory eliminator next year.
Hitchins’ most recent match resulted in a convincing win over former world title challenger Jose Zepeda (37-4, 28 KO’s), whom he defeated by unanimous decision on September 23rd.
Jack Catterall also fought this year on October 21st, completing a twelve-round match and dominating the now-retired Venezuelan former world champion Jorge Linares (47-9, 29 KO’s) en route to a unanimous decision.
The impending Catterall and Hitchins matchup presents a clash between two elite super lightweight fighters, determining the mandatory challenger for Matias, who is expected to be a formidable opponent for whichever Matchroom fighter comes out victorious.
