An extension has been granted in the ongoing process to fill the IBF middleweight title vacancy.
BoxingScene.com has learned that the IBF has approved a request from both parties involved in the ordered Esquiva Falcao-Vincenzo Gualtieri title fight to continue talks for another week. The two sides were given a 30-day negotiation window from March 15 to reach terms, though both believe an additional seven days will help find enough common ground to produce a deal.
Falcao is promoted by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum’s Top Rank. Gualtieri is represented by Ingo Volckmann’s AGON Sports based out of Berlin. A purse bid hearing remains on hold but will eventually be called if they cannot come to terms.
The winner of the ordered title fight will fill the void left behind by two-time titlist Gennadiy Golovkin (42-2-1, 37KOs), who GGGave up the title in February. The move came after a near four-month delay in the process to move forward with an ordered mandatory title defense versus Brazil’s Falcao, which Golovkin requested but later learned the lack of commercial value necessary to proceed with such a contest.
Falcao (30-0, 20KOs) became the mandatory challenger following a technical decision win over Patrice Volny in their November 2021 title eliminator between unbeaten contenders. The 2012 Olympic Silver medalist and nine-year pro has fought just once since then, a ten-round shutout victory over Cristian Fabian Rios last May 29 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The unbeaten middleweight was previously ordered to face Australia’s Michael Zerafa for the vacant title. The IBF ordered talks on February 9, but came to a halt on March 1 when Top Rank requested a purse bid hearing.
Zerafa initially sought a 30-day extension. Top Rank agreed to seven days, only to rescind its offer which left the IBF to proceed with original plans, unbeknownst to Zerafa whose manager, Grant Elvis Phillips, informed the sanctioning body of their decision to withdraw from the proceedings and the ordered fight.
As previously reported by Boxing Scene, Zerafa is also the mandatory challenger for the WBA middleweight title held by Erislandy Lara. The bout is very likely headed to a purse bid hearing, as there was minimal effort made by Lara’s team to negotiate terms.
Meanwhile, the IBF needed a new opponent for Falcao.
Enter Gualtieri (20-0-1, 7KOs), the IBF number three ranked middleweight who is eager to land his first career title fight.
The 30-year-old contender from Wuppertal, Germany has never fought outside his home country through more than seven years as a pro. Gualtieri has been the twelve-round distance in each of his last five starts, including a points win over Vincenzo Bevilacqua in his most recent start last September 10 in his Wuppertal hometown.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox