Daniel Roman ordered to face Murodjon Akhmadaliev

The WBA have, as expected, ordered 122-pound titleholder Daniel Roman to face mandatory challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev.

Roman (27-2-1, 10 KO) is coming off of a terrific win on April 26, where he unified the WBA and IBF belts in a fantastic war with TJ Doheny.

Akhmadaliev (6-0, 5 KO) stayed busy on that same card, beating Carlos Carlson by third round knockout.

The 24-year-old Akhmadaliev fought for Uzbekistan at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, winning a bronze medal at bantamweight, losing in the semifinals to the brilliant Cuban Robeisy Ramirez, a two-time gold medalist.

Roman, 28, won the WBA belt in Sept. 2017, going to Japan and stopping Shun Kubo, and has defended the belt on four occasions. Akhmadaliev is a legitimate challenge for him on paper, a talented southpaw who can box and punch. And it’s a potential good action fight, too, so that makes it even more worth looking forward to seeing.