Alen Babic will get his shot at the WBC Bridgerweight title, but not underneath his promoter, Eddie Hearn.
The WBC – who introduced the division in between cruiserweight and heavyweight – called for the purse bids when champion, Oscar Rivas, recently pulled out of a fight due to a detached retina.
He vacated the belt amidst reports of retirement, however he later claimed he would fight on in the future and nothing has been clarified since.
The sanctioning body announced the results of the purse bid this week, with Matchroom being pipped at the post by KO Promotions – a comparatively small outfit.
“Today, during our weekly press conference, the official purse bid to obtain the rights to organize Alen Babic vs. Lukasz Rozanski
Andrzej Wasilewsky of KnockOut Promotions got the rights by offering $425,000 against the $350,000 offer from Matchroom Boxing, who was represented by Tom Dallas.
For this fight, the WBC will apply its purse division rule for pursebid fights. The 10% of the total bid will be reserved to be paid as a bonus to the winner.”
The purse split for the fighters is set at 50/50 given the belt is vacant, and the winner has agreed to face two mandatories once crowned champion.
Rozanski (14-0, 13 KOs) and Babic (11-0, 10 KOs) will each receive $191,250 for their troubles and a further $42,500 will be awarded to the winner.
KO Promotions work with Rozanski, and said after the purse big that they would make the fight in Rzeszow, Poland. Fighting under a different promotion will represent a change for Babic, who has been brought up by Eddie Hearn on Matchroom shows in the UK and built an impressive following from his all-or-nothing style and intriguing alter-ego, ‘The Savage’