Joan "Little Tyson" Guzman hits the speed bag at his training camp at Gleasons's boxing gym in Brooklyn, New York August 23 © Reuters

A bout between former two-division world champion Joan Guzman (29-0, 17 KOs) and former world title challenger Ali Funeka (30-2-2, 25 KOs) has been sanctioned and approved by the IBF for the two to battle for the vacant lightweight title. A date and site of the fight will be revealed once the bout is finalized. Guzman, who recently signed with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, last fought in December 2008 in his native Dominican Republic where he won a unanimous decision over Ameth Diaz in an IBF title eliminator. Funeka last fought in February of this year where he dropped a close majority decision loss to Nate Campbell. Campbell was stripped of his title prior to the bout for coming in over the lightweight limit, leaving the title vacant. Fernando Angulo (22-5, 14 KOs) and Yuri Romanov (21-2, 14 KOs) were scheduled to have fought for the vacant title this past weekend but the word is that Romanov had trouble securing his visa to enter into the United States in time for the bout.