The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee ordered negotiations for the middleweight world title fight between champion Erislandy Lara and his mandatory challenger Michael Zerafa.

The pioneer organization sent the official communication to the parties, which will have from January 15 to February 15 to reach an agreement for this bout. 

Erislandy Lara has been champion since May 1, 2021 and the rules state that he must defend against the mandatory opponent after a period of nine months, which expired on February 1, 2022.

For this reason, his fight against Zerafa, who is ranked No. 1 and earned the right to fight for the world title, has been ordered. 

In the event that the parties cannot reach an agreement or one of them refuses to do so, the committee may call for an auction under the internal rules of the WBA and with a purse split of 75% for the champion and 25% for the challenger.