The hunt for a new WBO super middleweight champion is officially underway. On Monday, the sanctioning body ordered unbeaten contenders Hamzah Sheeraz and Diego Pacheco to fight for its vacant 168-pound title the belt recently relinquished by newly retired three-division undisputed champion Terence Crawford.
The matchup pits two of the division’s most promising young talents against one another, with the winner emerging as a first-time world champion in a suddenly wide-open weight class.
A Division Without Crawford Opens the Door
Crawford, who captured the undisputed super middleweight crown in September with a masterful win over Canelo Álvarez, retired earlier this month, leaving all four belts in flux.