Days after stripping freshly elevated middleweight champion Denzel Bentley for ducking mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez in favor of fighting Shane Mosley Jr under the Zuffa banner, the WBO has officially ordered Hernandez to face no. 4 Michael Zerafa for the vacant belt, giving them 20 days to avoid a purse bid.
It’s unclear whether no. 2 Vito Mielnicki Jr received the offer and turned it down, but no. 3 Tim Tszyu is already set to fight Erislandy Lara later this year, hence Zerafa (35-5, 23
KO) getting another title opportunity.
It’s hard to definitively say whether “Pretty Boy’s” stocks are lower than they were after Lara smashed his face off two years ago, but it’s safe to say he’s not exactly beloved by the Australian public at the moment. The 34-year-old took a headbutt in the second round of January’s grudge match with Nikita Tszyu, claimed he couldn’t see despite a complete lack of swelling or blood, then denied saying he couldn’t see after the referee waved things off.
Hernandez (11-0, 9 KO) is coming off a majority decision over Francisco Daniel Veron in their August eliminator, his second trip to the judges in his last four fights. Despite those stumbles, he’s a rare bright spot in this blighted mess of a division; let’s hope this fight gets him the spotlight and payday he deserves.
