The World Boxing Association continues its new policy of reducing the number of champions in each division.

The WBA Championships Committee has mandated that WBA Super World bantamweight champion Juan Carlos Payano (17-0, 8 KOs), the 31-year-old southpaw from Miami, Florida, by way of La Vega, Dominican Republic, and WBA World bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell (27-2-1, 12 KOs), the 29-year-old from Doncaster, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, have 30 days to reach terms for a title unification bout.

If they are unable to reach agreement during that time, a purse bid will be publicly offered.

A former WBA Fedelatin and WBA-NABA bantamweight champ, Payano won the WBA Super World title in September 2014 with a victory over Anselmo Moreno at the Mesquite Arena in Mesquite. Texas. He successfully defended his title one time, an August 2015 split decision victory over Rau’shee Warren at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

McDonnell is a former Commonwealth, EBU, BBBofC, and IBF World bantamweight titlist who won the vacant WBA World bantamweight title in May 2014 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, with a 10th round TKO victory over Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat. He has successfully defended his title three times, including two hard-fought wins over Tomoki Kameda in May and September of last year.

This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.