WBO orders Saunders-Khurtsidze clash

The WBO Championship Committee has given the camps of WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders and mandatory challenger Avtandil Khurtsidze ten days to negotiate an agreement for a WBO middleweight championship bout. If an accord is not reached within the time frame, a purse bid will be ordered. The minimum acceptable bid is $200,000. Either of the parties involved may call for a purse bid at any time during the negotiation process.

England’s Saunders (24-0, 12 KOs) reportedly is interested in fighting Japan’s Ryota Murata (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO’s No. 2-ranked contender at 160 pounds. A fight against Murata would be more lucrative for Saunders, particularly in Japan, but Khurtsidze would have to be compensated before agreeing to step aside and allow that fight to happen.