Don King has won the purse bid for the upcoming WBA "Regular" cruiserweight title fight.
The legendary promoter, on behalf of current titleholder Beibut Shumenov, won the rights to stage his title defense against Arsen Goulamirian after submitting a winning bid of $821,000. Univent Production offered $621,500, losing by $199,500. Per a previous report, Shumenov is entitled to 55 percent of the winning purse, while Goulamirian will receive the remaining 45 percent.
The team of Don King Promotions presented three possible dates and sites for the potential title bout: April 15 in Monaco, April 30 in Astana, Kazakhstan and May 13 in New York. The bidding took place in Panama City and was directed by Aurelio Fiengo, who is a board member of the WBA. They have 15 calendar days, starting February 13, to submit the signed contract.
Shumenov previously held the WBA title before ultimately retiring in 2017 due to an eye injury. Shumenov returned last year, defeating Hizni Altunkaya after nine rounds to recapture the WBA title.
Goulamirian earned the right to face Shumenov after beating Ryad Merhy this past March to win the interim title. Goulamirian retained his interim belt with a ninth-round TKO win over Mark Flanagan back in October.
The current WBA "Super" titleholder is undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk and Denis Lebedev is currently named "Champion in Recess." Usyk is likely moving up in weight to heavyweight, but should he remain at cruiserweight for his next fight, he would be ordered to fight Lebedev.
