Kudratillo Abdukakhorov-Keita Obara set to decide Spence mandatory

While Mikey Garcia gets his affairs in order in preparation for a crack at Errol Spence Jr., “The Truth’s” follow-up opponent may be decided on January 5th, when unbeaten Uzbek Kudratillo Abdukakhorov faces Japanese knockout artist Keita Obara in the former’s current stomping grounds of Malaysia.

The IBF first offered a spot in the eliminator to former WBO welterweight champ and IBF #3, Jessie Vargas, but he declined to face #4 Abdukakhorov, opening the door for #6 Obara.

Abdukakhorov (15-0, 9 KO) has picked up a handful of decent wins during his three-year pro career, most notably Charles Manyuchi and busted prospect Dmitry Mikhaylenko. He’s owned the WBC “Silver” title for a while and is currently ranked #3 by that sanctioning body, but the IBF came knocking first.

Obara (20-3-1, 18 KO) is perhaps best known for getting blasted through the ropes by Eduard Troyanovsky in 2016. He was last seen avenging a subsequent knockout loss to Alvin Lagumbay this past August.

Can Spence please just go unify with someone?