Less than 24 hours after Sergey Lipinets won the IBF junior welterweight title, a first title defense is already in play for spring 2018.
According to Lipinets' manager, Alex Vaysfeld of Union Boxing Management, the new world champion will make the first defense of his world title on a date in March and the opponent being targeted is former four division world champion Adrien Broner. Broner was present at the Barclays Center to watch Deontay Wilder knock out Bermane Stiverne to retain the WBC heavyweight title.
"The next fight will be held in March, it will be a defense against Broner," Vaysfeld said at the Barclays Center.
Lipinets won the then-vacant IBF title on that same card, beating Japanese boxing star Akihiro Kondo via unanimous decision (118-110, 117-111, 117-111) in an action-packed fight. It was Lipinets' first world title win as a professional boxer. The IBF title became vacant earlier this year when former champion Terence Crawford vacated his belt in his impending move up in weight.
Broner has won and lost a fight in 2017. Broner defeated Adrian Granados in February, but lost to Mikey Garcia in Garcia's junior welterweight debut in July. Broner has won world titles at welterweight, junior welterweight, lightweight, junior lightweight. Broner held the WBA junior welterweight title until last year when he failed to make weight during a title defense against Ashley Theophane.
No official fight or fight venue for Lipinets vs. Broner has been announced nor has the IBF commented on the matter.
