WBA demands Dalakian vs Concepcion

The World Boxing Association (WBA) champion committee has scheduled a fight between the organization's bantamweight champion Artem Dalakian and current interim champion Luis Concepcion. The sanctioning body sent a message to both teams for them to immediately begin negotiations for the fight.

Under Champion Rule C.11, the champion must make a title defense against an official challenger within nine months of winning the title. Dalakian's last mandatory defense was on June 15, 2019, and the deadline for the next fight was set for March 14, 2020. For this reason, the sanctioning body requires Dalakian to fight Concepcion.

On the other hand, WBA Rule C.13 "Fighting Restrictions" states that a champion cannot fight a boxer who is not a mandatory challenger within sixty days of the expiration of the mandatory defense period.

Based on the above, a 30-day negotiation period has been set for August 19, 2021, which will end on September 18.

If both teams fail to reach an agreement within the set period or one of the parties is unwilling to negotiate, the Champion's Committee may refer the fight to promoter bids in accordance with WBA rules.