Heavyweight contender Bermane Stiverne will have to wait a little longer for his WBC-mandated title shot against Vitali Klitschko, as the champion has been granted a third purse bid extension.
Stiverne earned the title shot by winning two eliminators over Ray Austin in 2011 and most recently Chris Arrerola in April. Klitschko has not fought since winning a fourth round TKO over Manuel Charr last September.
Stiverne’s manager, Camille Estephan, expressed frustration at what he deemed favorable treatment for Klitschko, but remained confident that his fighter will become the first man to score a clean knockout over Vitali.
It’s a bit frustrating to hear only two days before the scheduled purse bid that it has once again been postponed. We are waiting for a new date. At this point, we have worked really hard to secure potential venues. Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre and Montreal’s Bell Centre are still at the forefront. Regardless, Bermane is ready now, or in a few months, and the longer Klitschko plays politics rather than man up and fight, the more ready we will be and the older he will get. Bermane will KO him wherever and whenever it happens.
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This is a good fight and one I’m sure HBO wouldn’t mind airing. However, we know the Klitschko’s love to make fights on their terms and Stiverne will likely have to venture to Germany to make this happen. What the WBC shouldn’t do is allow this situation to turn into a replay of the constant delays Vitali had in making a fight against Hasim Rahman in the early 2000s. Vitali eventually had to retire for a few years because injuries prevented him from defending the belt. There’s no injuries (that we know of) involved here, so if Vitali isn’t ready to go by the end of this postponement period, the belt should be vacated.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 