By Boxing Bob Newman

Fightnews.com® spoke with IBF president Daryl Peoples today to get clarification on the dual Lightweight eliminators which were contested on Saturday on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

The fight between IBF #3 George Kambosos, Jr. and #4 Lee Selby, held in London, England, was for the #1 sport which was vacant. Kambosos, Jr. came away with a hard-fought victory and clinched both the #1 ranking and the mandatory challenger status for undisputed champ Teofimo Lopez.

In San Antonio, Texas several hours later, #6 Isaac Cruz Gonzalez annihilated #9 Diego Magdaleno in one round to secure the also vacant #2 slot.

President Peoples said the IBF will push for Kambosos, Jr. to be up first in the mandatory rotation for Lopez, who as a multi-belt champion, inherits the unenviable task of having to deal with mandatory defenses of the IBF, WBA, and WBO. Peoples admits some negotiating will be necessary to secure the IBF’s place in the rotation. Lopez and his brain trusts will also have to use some nimble maneuvering to keep all the belts strapped tightly around the champ’s waist without being stripped for failure to defend against each organization’s mandatory challenger.

There is, however, the possibility that Lopez, a huge lightweight, may follow in the footsteps of recent four-belt champs Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk who, after winning all four straps, immediately moved up to the next weight class. Stay tuned!