The IBF has ordered a February 2nd purse bid between #3 Subriel Matias and #4 Gabriel Valenzuela for a 140lb title eliminator to determine the mandatory challenger for light welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins.
Lance Pugmire reports that the Matias vs. Valenzuela has been ordered to establish the #1 challenger for Hitchins.
Glimpse title shot
Subriel, 32, is not popular enough to be selected by Hitchins for voluntary defence. So Matias has to go the mandatory route by defeating slugger Valenzuela to force a match. It makes sense. No champion at 140 would willingly face a KO artist like Matias. We saw this recently with WBO champion Teofimo Lopez when he rejected the idea of facing Matias.
Former IBF champion Matias (21-2, 21 KOs) lost his title to Liam Paro last year, losing a 12-round unanimous decision on June 15 in Manati, Puerto Rico. Considered by many boxing fans as the boogeyman of the 140-pound division, Matias knocked out Roberto Ramirez in the second round on November 9.
Teofimo recently turned down what was said to be a career payday to defend his WBO light welterweight title against Subriel Matias. He said he didn’t want to fight Matias because Top Rank wanted to put the fight on the West Coast rather than New York, where he felt he would do better.
Lopez also said he didn’t like that Top Rank wanted to put the match with Matias on the PPV. Fans believe that Teofimo lacked the confidence to take the fight, knowing that Matias hits hard and is a pressure fighter who could beat him and ruin his career as it is.
Valenzuela (30-3-1, 17 KOs) is on a five-fight winning streak since defeating Montana Love by 12-round unanimous decision on May 7, 2022. His wins since then have come against low-level opposition.
Richardson (19-0, 7 KOs) could face WBO 140-lb champion Teofimo Lopez in a unification bout on one of Turki Al-Sheikh’s cards if Teo chooses to take it. If not, there is a possibility that George Campos Jr. will challenge Hitchins for the IBF belt.
2025-01-23 22:10:00
