:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63070129/167838812.jpg.0.jpg)
Lord, no. Take our eyes, but not Charr-Oquendo!
A planned fight for the WBA’s secondary “world” heavyweight title between Manuel Charr and mandatory challenger Fres Oquendo has been canceled, according to ESPN.
The fight was originally supposed to take place last September, but was called off when Charr (31-4, 17 KO) failed a VADA drug test. Eventually, yada yada yada, his suspension was lifted in January, and the fight was thought to be back on for March 23. Then it was April 6. And now it’s nothing.
Oquendo (37-8, 24 KO), whose prime was sometime around the turn of the century, is 45 years old and hasn’t even fought since a 2014 loss to Ruslan Chagaev. The fight has been canceled because he didn’t sign the contract for the bout.
With Oquendo apparently deciding not to fight and the WBA perhaps no longer feeling obligated to consider him the mandatory challenger, the sanctioning body could now move on to Charr facing Trevor Bryan (20-0, 14 KO), a 29-year-old American.
For what it’s worth, the WBA heavyweight title that anyone cares about is held by Anthony Joshua.