Daniel Roman will have no issues moving forward with a potential title unification this spring.
The WBA has announced that it has given Roman, its super bantamweight champion, permission to have a unification bout against IBF titleholder TJ Doheny. The winner of the fight, however, must face WBA mandatory challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev within 90 days of the unification.
The fight between Roman and Doheny will take place on April 26 at The Forum on a boxing card streamed on DAZN. Roman won the WBA "Regular" title in September 2017 but was elevated to sole world champion months later after Guillermo Rigondeaux was stripped of his WBA "Super" title. Since then, Roman has made three successful title defenses.
Akhmadaliev turned pro in March 2018, winning all five of his fights in the paid ranks. Akhmadaliev made an incredibly fast rise to the No. 1 spot in the WBA rankings, winning the organization's Intercontinental title this past August in his his fourth fight. While Roman and Doheny have their unification bout, the WBA said "Akhmadaliev will be able to make a fight against an opponent of his choice and will still keep the rights recognized by the WBA as mandatory challenger."
While Akhmadaliev could potentially be the next man in line to fight for the unified titles, he is not the only mandatory challenger for a super bantamweight belt. Former champion Ryosuke Iwasa is the mandatory challenger to the IBF title held by Doheny but the organization has yet to officially order that fight. Iwasa won a title eliminator on February 16 against Cesar Juarez in Los Angeles.
