WBA orders Davis to defend lightweight title vs Schofield

The World Boxing Association has ordered Gervonta Davis to defend his lightweight title against mandatory challenger Floyd Schofield, creating confusion over Davis’s current championship status and disrupting plans for a high-profile rematch. The WBA’s Championships Committee issued the formal notice on Saturday, giving the fighters’ camps 30 days to reach an agreement before a June 22 deadline, after which a purse bid may be called.

The order refers to Davis as the “reigning champion” and cites rules requiring champions to defend their titles every nine months, with a mandatory defense period now overdue. This directly contradicts the organization’s own actions from January, when WBA president Gilberto Mendoza confirmed Davis had been stripped of the title and designated a “Champion in Recess” due to inactivity. That status is typically reserved for inactive fighters who can later challenge for the title, not for reigning champions fulfilling mandatory defenses.

Davis has not fought since March 1, 2025, when he retained his WBA belt with a controversial majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. That fight included a disputed sequence in the ninth round where Davis took a knee...