Northern Ireland's Carl Frampton has had his WBA super bantamweight title stripped less than two months after winning it by beating Scott Quigg in Manchester in late February.
The WBA have stripped Frampton of the title for his unwillingness to defend it against Guillermo Rigondeaux - the WBA's mandatory challenger. This isn't surprising - Frampton's manager Barry McGuigan hinted as much last month when he claimed that Frampton has nothing to gain from fighting Rigondeaux. The WBA stated:
In light of Frampton’s announced intention to face an opponent other than his mandatory, and for failing to respond to WBA inquiries as to his intent, Frampton’s recognition as Champion is removed.
The WBA rules state that a champion must regularly defend his title, and has nine months to make a defense. But Frampton showed no interest of facing Rigondeaux, and the WBA have clarified this with Frampton's management before stripping him of the title.
Instead, Frampton will keep his IBF super-bantamweight title and will be looking to fight WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz. The pair called each other out on twitter last month, with a venue set to be determined.
As for the vacant title, Rigondeaux will now face Moises Flores for the right to be the champion.
Rigondeux shall come out of recess and face Interim Champion Moises Flores as his mandatory defense on or before August 1, 2016.
See also: Carl Frampton Set To Announce Massive Featherweight Title Clash This Summer
See also: It's Do Or Die For A Refreshingly Honest Matthew Macklin This Saturday
[Sports View London]
Picture credit: Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE
