FightHype.com has been informed by DeJuan Blake of Affiliation Management that the World Boxing Council has ordered a rematch between former jr. middleweight champion Ishe Smith and contender Vanes Martirosyan. We're told that the bout will be a "final elimination" to determine the #2 mandatory challenger to the WBC jr. middleweight title, currently held by champion Jermell Charlo. Both fighters have until February 20 to come to an agreement before a purse bid is held.
Martirosyan last fought back in May of 2016, losing a 12-round unanimous decision to the crafty WBA jr. middleweight champion Erislandy Lara. Smith, on the other, fought more recently, winning a majority decision over a very game Frank Galarza back in September of 2016. In their first encounter, it was Martirosyan who got the upper hand, putting Smith down two times and walking away with a majority decision in Smith's hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. Since then, Smith has been eager for this opportunity for revenge to come along, while Martirosyan has expressed his strong desire to be more active in his career. It appears the timing of this news couldn't be better for both fighters.
[ Follow Ben Thompson on Twitter @fighthype ]