WBC orders Babic vs Rozanski for vacant bridgerweight title

Ryad Merhy is in line to face Kevin Lerena in a final eliminator

With Oscar Rivas out of commission, the WBC had some work to do to get its awful bridgerweight division back on track. Promoter Andrzej Wasilewski announced today that Alen Babic has been ordered to meet Lukasz Rozanski for the now-vacant belt.

Rozanski (14-0, 13 KO) has been owed a title shot for ages, but Rivas’ assorted issues have left the Pole out of action since a 2:25 thrashing of Artur Szpilka in May 2021. Babic (11-0, 10 KO), meanwhile, had been gearing up for a final eliminator against Ryad Merhy, who will now face Kevin Lerena instead.

Honestly, that part bums me out. Lerena impressed in his brief war with Daniel Dubois, and I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing him return to the heavyweight mix. It would suck to see him putter around here instead of heavyweight or cruiserweight, where he could actually make an impact.

Baggage aside, Rozanski vs Babic looks like a lot of fun. Babic’s penchant for red-hot starts is well-documented and Rozanski has never gone past four, so it should be mayhem while it lasts.