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The WBA appears to be following through on their plan to reduce the number of belts in play, as they have ordered a bout between "Super" bantamweight champion Juan Carlos Payano and regular champion Jamie McDonnell. As usual, the two sides have thirty days to negotiate before the fight heads to a purse bid.
Payano (17-0, 8 KO) won his title with a technical decision over Anselmo Moreno in 2014, then edged former Olympian Rau'shee Warren in a foul-filled brawl last August. Said bout was Payano's only fight of 2015; the Miami-based Dominican has fought just five times since 2012.
McDonnell (27-2-1, 12 KO) surged onto the world stage last year with two wins over Tomoki Kameda, scoring the second and third defenses of the belt he won from Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat. He's not lost since 2008 and brings a nineteen-fight winning streak into this ostensible unification bout.
This is an excellent matchup between two of the world's best bantamweights; any early predictions?