Denis Lebedev and Arsen Goulamirian have finally reached a deal for their WBA cruiserweight world title bout.
The WBA announced that the two sides have reached a deal for their fight but the specific details won't be revealed for another few weeks until everything is completely finalized. The news meant a purse bid scheduled for June 20 was canceled. The fight would pit Lebedev, the WBA "Super" champion, against Goulamirian, the WBA "Regular" champion. Below is the full statement by the WBA:
"The World Boxing Association (WBA) World Boxing Association (WBA) auction between Denis Lebedev and Arsen Goulamirian, due to be held on June 20th, was suspended because both sides reached an agreement to finalize the fight.
The dispute between the 200-pound Super Champion, a native of Russia, and the regular champion, of French nationality but born in Armenia, was scheduled about a month ago. However, the teams communicated with the WBA sanctioning body organization to inform that the fight will take place due to everything being arranged.
The details of the date, place, and conditions of the negotiations will be announced in the coming weeks once everything is perfectly finalized. Lebedev-Goulamirian is one of the most interesting matches the division can offer today.
Lebedev will make the third defense of his belt against an undefeated champion like the Frenchman in a clash of power vs power. Lebedev has 32 wins, 2 losses, and 23 knockouts. For his part, Goulamirian has 24 wins, no losses, and 16 knockouts."
Originally, the WBA ordered Lebedev to fight Beibut Shumenov, the previous WBA "Regular" titleholder at 200 pounds with Don King winning a purse bid. A fight date could not be secured despite plans to hold the fight in Kazakhstan in May and since then, Shumenov is no longer listed as the "Regular" champion, with Goulamirian being elevated after being the WBA Gold champion.
Since losing his IBF cruiserweight title to Murat Gassiev back in 2016, Lebedev has won three straight, most recently against Mike Wilson last year. Goulamirian has won all 24 of his pro bouts with 16 of them ending inside the distance.
