Interim championship
An interim championship is an alternate title that is awarded by the four major sanctioning bodies of professional boxing (WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO), and in other combat sports such as kickboxing and mixed martial arts.
Occasionally, the champion of a particular weight division is temporarily unable to defend his championship because of medical, legal, or other reasons that are beyond the competitor's control. When this case occurs, two highly ranked contenders may fight for an interim championship of the same weight division – leading to two champions existing in the same weight division simultaneously. Once the original champion is able to return, at the discretion of the sanctioning body concerned, they must defend their title against the interim champion - who will relinquish their interim title in order to fight for the full world title. If the original champion cannot return, refuses to defend their title or transfers to a different weight division, the interim champion is then promoted to full championship status.[citation needed] The WBC, however, have begun awarding interim titles to the winners of final eliminator fights, effectively signifying a mandatory challenger position for the full world title. Recent examples include the winners of Dillian Whyte vs Oscar Rivas and Devin Haney vs Zaur Abdullaev.
Current interim champions
- As of 11 February 2020
| Sanctioning body | Weight Class | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| WBA | Heavyweight |  Trevor Bryan
|
| WBC | Heavyweight |  Dillian Whyte
|
| WBA | Cruiserweight |  Ryad Merhy
|
| WBA | Light heavyweight |  Dominic Boesel
|
| WBA | Middleweight | Chris Eubank Jr.
|
| WBA | Junior Welterweight |  Alberto Puello
|
| WBA | Super featherweight | Chris Colbert
|
| IBF | Super bantamweight |  Ryosuke Iwasa
|
| WBA | Flyweight |  Luis Concepción
|
| WBA | Junior flyweight |  Daniel Matellon
|
Upcoming Scheduled Vacant Interim Title Matches
| Sanctioning body | Weight Class | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| WBA | Super Middleweight | Lennox Allen vs. Osvary Morrell |
| WBA | Welterweight | Jamal James vs. Thomas Dulorme |
| IBF | Welterweight | Sergey Lipinets vs. Qudratillo Abduqaxorov |
| WBA | Lightweight | Francesco Patera vs. Devis Boschiero |
| WBA | Super Bantamweight | Azat Hovhannisyan vs. Jose Sanmartin |
See also
- List of current world boxing champions
- List of current female world boxing champions
- List of current mixed martial arts champions
References
- Jackson, Ron. "Flyweight champ wins 15th defence." SuperBoxing. URL accessed 3 August 2006.
- WBA officials. World Boxing Association World Championships Regulations. World Boxing Association. accessed 22 December 2014.