IBF gives Devon Alexander ultimatum: Timothy Bradley or IBF title
If IBF/WBC junior welterweight titlist Devon Alexander pushes forward with a projected January battle with WBO king Timothy Bradley, the IBF will strip him of his title, the sanctioning body has confirmed.
International Boxing Federation chairman Lindsay Tucker told FanHouse.com that Alexander must face number one IBF contender Kaizer Mabuza by 28 December due to a purse bid settlement between Mabuza’s promoter
and the IBF (Alexander promoter Don King didn’t participate).
"Devon Alexander has been ordered to do his mandatory against challenger Kaizer Mabuza, who is the IBF's No. 1-rated junior welterweight division fighter. Right now, it's past the point where Devon Alexander
can still face Tim Bradley and then do Mabuza,” Tucker confirmed. "There was a point where he could have fought Bradley, however, we didn't get the necessary information in the office in time, so we ordered him to do the mandatory.”
For weeks Alexander has been arranging an HBO fight date with Bradley and had signed to terms with King, although Bradley and his promoter Gary Shaw were still ironing out the details.
Tucker claims that because the IBF didn’t hear from Bradley’s camp in regards to the Alexander bout, they pushed forward with a mandatory purse bid between Alexander and Mabuza.
Boxingscene.com stated that a letter from the IBF was sent to King on 9 August which notified him negotiation period for the mandated bout would conclude on 9 September, with the purse bid on 28 September.
In return King contacted the IBF and had the bid postponed with the news that Alexander had already signed on for a bout with Bradley. The postponement was annulled after the IBF didn’t hear from Shaw.
Upon hearing the news, Don King was short and clearly on edge. “I’m not going to get into that [expletive] contest.”
Bradley’s promoter Shaw claims that the IBF is not being fair or honest about the matter, saying that he notified the sanctioning body of his camps position in September. He went so far as to encourage
King to consider taking up a legal battle against the body.
“"Daryl Peoples [IBF President] is not being truthful,” Shaw argued. “I was on the phone with him and King. We said there was an agreement, and then he went and scheduled the purse bid. I told Don that
he should start a lawsuit. It doesn't make any sense. Instead of getting a [sanctioning] fee from a million dollar purse [for Alexander], now they get one from a $75,000 purse."
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