Julio Ceja is looking to have his most recent loss in a title eliminator against Guillermo Rigondeaux reviewed by the WBC.
After Ceja was dropped by Rigondeaux in the eighth round of a WBC super bantamweight title eliminator on the June 23 PBC on FOX, the referee stopped the fight even after Ceja got back up. Ceja immediately complained about the stoppage, arguing that he was good to go and keep on fighting. Unfortunately for Ceja, who was actually ahead on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage, he will miss out on a shot at the world title currently being held by Rey Vargas.
That hasn't stopped Ceja from trying to fight the result of the bout. Ceja has gone on to go to the WBC and President Mauricio Sulaiman to protest the result. Although the WBC has said Rigondeaux remains the mandatory challenger to Vargas' title, the governing body will certainly take a look at the situation. Below is the WBC's statement on the matter:
"After the defeat suffered by Julio Ceja against Guillermo Rigondeaux last weekend, Ceja approached the President of the WBC, Mauricio Sulaiman to appeal the decision of the Referee. Ceja was knocked down with a left hook in the eighth round and although he got up before the 10 count, the Referee decided to stop the fight. Julio is requesting a revision of the fight. It should be noted that the winner of that bout is the official title challenger. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman says that Rigondeaux is the official challenger, but that the request of Ceja will be addressed. However, he did point out that the chief goal of the World Boxing Council is to always safeguard the integrity and well being of boxers, in order to avoid any tragedy."
Rigondeaux will have to wait a while longer before getting his opportunity at the WBC title, however. Vargas is scheduled to face interim titlist Tomoki Kameda on July 13 on a DAZN card in Carson, California.
