The World Boxing Association (WBA) has granted special permission to super middleweight world champion Jaime Munguía to defend his title against Nikita Zon on Saturday, October 31, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The WBA Championship Committee issued a resolution establishing that the authorization applies exclusively to the bout against Zon and follows an agreement reached by the parties, with both Munguía’s team and Bektemir Melikuziev’s team agreeing to the arrangement.

Melikuziev, the division’s mandatory challenger, accepted the agreement to allow the fight to proceed while retaining his mandatory status and his right to challenge for the world title.

The resolution further establishes that negotiations for the mandatory title defense must begin once the Munguía-Zon bout concludes. If Munguía wins, his next fight must be against Melikuziev. Should Zon emerge victorious and accept the obligations associated with the championship, he must face the mandatory challenger in his next WBA super middleweight world title defense.

If the bout ends in a draw or any other result that allows Munguía to retain the belt, the champion will remain obligated to face Melikuziev.

The resolution also makes clear that if the scheduled fight in Saudi Arabia does not take place on October 31, the special authorization will become void unless the WBA expressly determines otherwise in writing. In that scenario, the mandatory title defense order will remain in effect, and Munguía must proceed with that bout as his next fight or comply with the applicable provisions regarding relinquishing the championship.

With this decision, the WBA has authorized Munguía’s voluntary title defense against Zon while safeguarding Melikuziev’s rights and establishing the conditions necessary to ensure compliance with the next mandat