Wyndel Janiola has lost his IBF mandatory status after accepting a recent fight, thus violating the IBF’s rules, thereby stripping him of his mandatory shot at reigning champion Will Grigsby of the United States anytime this year.
The New Jersey-based IBF, through championship chairman Lindsey Tucker, has just informed Janiola’s handlers that the Filipino boxer will not be fighting Grigsby soon, apparently after Janiola saw action in an Independence Day card on June 12 with a TKO victory over journeyman Ricky Escaner in two rounds.
Earlier, Janiola was being tapped by the IBF to challenge reigning champion Will Grigsby anytime this year. Janiola’s handlers and representatives of Don King, which promotes Grigsby, were already given the go-signal by the IBF to start negotiations. The IBF expressively said that under no circumstances should Janiola be fighting, to avoid putting the negotiations in peril.
However, Janiola went ahead anyway to fight Escaner without informing the IBF, prompting the sanctioning body to strip Janiola of his right to face Grigsby.
“We will try to ask the IBF for a reconsideration. I hope they heed us,” said Terry Carter, Janiola’s backer, before leaving for the US for a business trip.
However, Tucker, in an e-mail sent to this writer said that they have already chosen a replacement for Janiola.
“We held an Elimination bout for the IBF Jr. Flyweight #1 contender between #3, Ulises Solis and #5, CarlosFajardo last Friday in Guadalajara, Mexico. Solis won by TKO in the 8th round. Originally the winner of that fight was going to be the mandatory (next year) for the winner of Will Grigsby against Wendyl Janiola. Once Janiola fell out Solis became the leading available contender (#1) and the mandatory challenger,” Tucker said.
