Chris Arreola punches with weights during a media workout at Goosen's Gym in the Van Nuys district of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. The World Boxing Council has ordered immediate negotiations between Canada's Bermane Stiverne and Arreola of the United States to fight for the vacant WBC heavyweight title. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Reed Saxon
December 19, 2013 - 11:29 AM
TORONTO - The World Boxing Council has ordered immediate negotiations between Canada's Bermane Stiverne and Chris Arreola of the United States to fight for the vacant WBC heavyweight title.
Stiverne (23-1-1, 20 KOs), a Haitian-born boxer who was raised in Montreal, is the No. 1-ranked contender for the title, which was vacated on Monday by Vitali Klitschko so he could focus on his presidential campaign in his native Ukraine.
Arreola (36-3) is the second-ranked contender. The two fighters met April 27 in Ontario, Calif., with Stiverne winning in a lopsided unanimous decision.
Klitschko has been named a "Champion Emeritus" by the WBC, a move that would allow him to challenge the new champion directly should he wish to resume his career.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013