The WBC's Diamond champion at middleweight, Sergio Martinez, confirmed an earlier story by BoxingScene.com's Miguel Rivera, who was advised by WBC president Jose Sulaiman that middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was granted permission to make a voluntary defense, but has to face Martinez in his next fight. Sulaiman also explained that Marco Antonio Rubio is not the mandatory challenger because his April fight with David Lemieux was never sanctioned as a final eliminator.

"Exactly, word for word," was Martinez's reaction to Rivera's BoxingScene story. "I want to add that if Chavez doesn't sign the contract for this fight, he won't be champion.
I believe in the word of WBC and Don Jose."

Chavez's next fight is tentative for November 19 against contender Peter Manfredo Jr. A fight with Martinez, if it ever happens, would take place some time in 2012.