The WBC has officially ordered heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder to fight mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale.
The governing body made the announcement after it was revealed that Wilder was not going to have a rematch against lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in his next fight. On their website, the WBC released a statement detailing the somewhat complicated history of the WBC heavyweight mandatory challenger, but concluded by saying that Wilder and Breazeale must fight each other with negotiations starting now. Should both sides fail to come to terms on a deal by April 4, then a purse bid will be conducted.
Below is the official order for Wilder and Breazeale to fight:
"WBC World Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder shall fulfill his mandatory obligations by fighting Dominic Breazeale next. This order constitutes the start of the free negotiations period for Champion Wilder’s mandatory defense of his title. If no agreement is reached between the camps, the WBC shall conduct a purse offer ceremony on April 4, 2019 at the WBC Offices in Mexico City, Mexico."
Before Wilder's planned rematch against Fury fell through, the WBC ordered Breazeale to fight Dillian Whyte for an interim title with the two winners set to face off against each other down the line. With the Wilder vs. Fury sequel not happening, the interim title bout appears to no longer be happening.
A prior report indicated that Wilder could defend his WBC title on May 18, but no opponent had been named. Ever since the rematch against Fury was no longer possible for both fighters next, Breazeale became the front-runner to land the WBC title shot as he had been the mandatory challenger for more than a year when he defeated Eric Molina in November 2017.
Wilder has held the WBC title since 2014 when he defeated Bermane Stiverne to win the title and has made eight successful defenses. Wilder's most recent defense was the first fight against Fury, which took place last December and ended in a draw, meaning Wilder retained his title.
