WBO Orders Kosei Tanaka vs. Jonathan Gonzalez For Flyweight Title

The WBO has already taken steps to have flyweight world champion Kosei Tanaka face mandatory challenger Jonathan Gonzalez. 

The organization has ordered the two sides to start negotiations for a title fight with the deadline date being May 29. If the two sides are unable to come to terms to an agreement, a purse bid will take place with the minimum bid being $80,000 and Tanaka getting the lion’s share of the winning bid. Below is the letter sent out to the camps of both fighters.

Re: WBO Flyweight Championship Negotiation letter
Kosei Tanaka vs. Jonathan Gonzalez

Gentlemen:

Please be advised the parties have thirty-days (30) upon receipt of this letter to negotiate and reach an agreement regarding the WBO Flyweight Championship Contest between Kosei Tanaka vs. Jonathan Gonzalez. If an accord is not reached within the time frame set forth herein, a Purse Bid will be ordered pursuant with our WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.

The minimum acceptable bid for the WBO Flyweight Division is $80,000.00 (Eighty Thousand Dollars). Any of the parties involved may request purse bid procedures at any time during the negotiation process.
Yours truly,

Luis Batista Salas, Esq.
Cc: Francisco Valcárcel, Esq.
President

Tanaka has held the WBO title at 112 pounds since last September when he defeated Sho Kimura in Japan. The fight, which was Fightful’s boxing “Fight of the Year” back in September, saw Tanaka win by majority decision to tie a record set by Vasiliy Lomachenko by winning a world title in three weight classes in the least amount of pro bouts with 12 fights. Since that win over Kimura, Tanaka has made just one defense of the title, a unanimous decision win over Ryoichi Taguchi back in March.

Gonzalez, a 28-year-old fighter from Puerto Rico, has held the WBO NABO title in Febraury 2018 when he won a split decision against Ricardo Rodriguez. Gonzalez currently sits No. 1 in the WBO flyweight rankings on a four-fight win streak, last fighting this past November when he scored a TKO win over former title challenger Juan Alejo.