Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reported this afternoon on Twitter that IBF super flyweight titlist Cristian Mijares has officially vacated his title after struggles with making weight, and that the vacant title will be decided in a rematch between Raul Martinez and Rodrigo Guerrero.
Mijares (42-6-2, 18 KO) has made a nice career comeback, winning his last six fights and picking up another title since a three-fight losing streak in 2008-09 had him on the ropes as a top-level fighter. He's fought just three notable fights over 115 pounds in his career, two losses to Nehomar Cermeno and a close win over Francisco Arce. So we'll see how well he can compete at bantamweight (or higher, if he must).
The call by the IBF to pit Martinez (28-1, 16 KO) and Guerrero (15-3-1, 10 KO) is a good one. Their first fight was a barnburner in November 2010, with Martinez squeaking out a split decision victory. Guerrero may not have the most impressive-looking record, but he's an incredibly tough guy who once took a horrible beating from Vic Darchinyan but held up for the full 12 rounds. They are the two top-rated contenders (Martinez #1, Guerrero #3, there is no #2) by the IBF right now, and it's a fight that just makes perfect sense for the vacant belt.