As per the latest developments, #3 ranked featherweight contender Ruben Villa will fight Emanuel Navarrete for the vacant featherweight title.

After Shakur Stevenson abdicated the featherweight throne, Emanuel Navarrete and Jessie Magdaleno were supposed to battle it out for the vacant belt; Top Rank had even secured a $250,000 purse bid. However, a recent notification by the WBO halted all plans.

The WBO offered Magdaleno 24 hours to accept the fight with Navarrete. Failure to do so would remove him from the matchup. Check out the statement below.

“WBO Participant Jessie Magdaleno was granted a final 24-hour term upon notice of the ‘Resolution’ to confirm in writing whether he will fight against WBO Participant Emanuel Navarrete for the vacant WBO Featherweight Championship as ordered.

“Lastly, Magdaleno was advised that failure to comply with the time frame established therein would be understood as if he would not participate and fight Navarrete and waiving any and rights therein,” said WBO Championship Committee Chairman Luis Batista-Salas.

Ruben Villa takes Jessie Magdaleno’s spot

Unfortunately, it seems like Magdaleno is uninterested in fighting Navarrete. Batista-Salas stated that Top Rank had sent a contract to Magdaleno after they won the bid, but they did not receive any response. Even now, there was no answer from Magdaleno’s side. Hence, the committee decided to move forward with the division.

“As of Wednesday, August 19, 2020, the World Boxing Organization has not received any communication, whether by Magdaleno or his manager Frank Espinoza confirming his participation in the bout as mentioned earlier,” said Batista-Salas.

“Moreover, the 24-hour period granted has elapsed, and this Committee must resolve the matter at hand and proceed according to the WBO Rules and Regulations of World Championship Contests.” Read the full statement here.

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So who’s next? According to the rankings and the WBO Championship Committee, it is Ruben Villa.

“The WBO World Championship Committee hereby selects and determines WBO Featherweight Contender Ruben Villa as the first available contender in the aforementioned division and orders commencement of negotiations with Team Navarrete for the Vacant WBO Featherweight Championship Title.”

Villa is relatively new to the sport. “RV4” has had 18 professional matches — 11 fights less than Magdaleno — and has lost none of them. He defeated Alexei Collado in his last match on December 21, 2019. Navarrete, on the other hand, fought Uriel López in June 2020.

Although he won the bout, it was later overturned to a no-contest, as it was not sanctioned by the Mexico City Boxing Commission.

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