The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee has notified Dominican Hector Garcia, current Super Featherweight champion, that his mandatory opponent is American Lamont Roach, currently ranked number one in the WBA rankings, on Monday, March 20.
Garcia won the WBA belt on August 20, 2022 and, as indicated by the rules of the body, he has 9 months to face his mandatory opponent and that deadline expires on May 20, 2023. So, as the WBA rule C-13 indicates, the notification to the parties involved is made 60 days before the expiration of such period.
Therefore, both parties have 30 days to negotiate and send the contracts to the WBA Championships Committee before April 19, 2023.
Should any of the parties express their unwillingness to negotiate, the Championships Committee will call for an auction, the percentage of which will be divided as follows: 75% for the champion and 25% for the mandatory challenger.
