In
professional boxing
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
and some other combat sports, a mandatory challenger is an opponent whom a champion must either fight (in a mandatory defence) or be forced to vacate their title as champion. The opposite of a mandatory defence is a ''voluntary'' defence, against an opponent who might offer greater revenue potential than a mandatory challenger.
Mandatory challengers are designated by the champion's sanctioning body; in boxing, the major sanctioning bodies are the
WBA,
WBC,
IBF and
WBO. The sanctioning bodies often order eliminators between top-ranked contenders to decide who will receive the mandatory challenger status. If the champion vacates the belt, the mandatory challenger is paired against another challenger for the vacant belt. Due to boxing politics, the champion of one sanctioning body is excluded from the rankings of rival sanctioning bodies, so
unification fights cannot be mandatory defences. Conversely, mandatory challengers may be forced to wait for a title shot if the champion pursues a unification bout with a champion of a different sanctioning body, as a unification fight supersedes a mandatory defence.
See also
*
Interim championship
An interim championship is an alternate title that is awarded by the sanctioning bodies of professional boxing, and in other combat sports such as kickboxing, professional wrestling, and mixed martial arts.
Occasionally, the champion of a particul ...
References
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External links
WBA regulations on mandatory challengersWBC regulations on mandatory challengers
IBF regulations on mandatory challengersWBO regulations on mandatory challengers
Boxing terminology
Boxing champions