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Ryan Burnett has WBA world title defence confirmed for Joshua-Parker bill in Cardiff

Burnett has vacated the IBF variant and will defend only the belt he earned in Belfast last October.

RYAN BURNETT HAS vacated his IBF World bantamweight title but will defend his WBA strap on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight unification bout with Joseph Parker at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff, next month.

The 25-year-old Antrim Road fighter will face WBA number-one contender Yonfrez Parejo (21-2-1, 10KOs) of Venezuela in his first defence of the belt he earned by beating Zhanat Zhakiyanov in Belfast last October.

Burnett’s 31 March bout will receive lofty billing on Eddie Hearn’s 31 March card in the Welsh capital.

The Irishman’s IBF bauble is gone, however: Burnett, who had mandatory defences of both WBA and IBF titles due simultaneously, opted to ditch the latter because he had already begun negotiations with Parejo – this while under the assumption that Lee Haskins (whom Burnett dethroned last summer) and top IBF contender Emmanuel Rodriguez would be fighting for the interim IBF title in a bid to challenge him for the real thing later this year.

Haskins, however, pulled out of an interim title bout with Rodriguez, with the Puerto Rican’s team subsequently attempting to force champion Burnett in their direction – and away from that of WBA challenger Parejo – by demanding immediate purse bids.

Burnett, caught between a rock and a hard place, opted instead to continue negotiations with Parejo, against whom he is now confirmed to be fighting at the 73,000-capacity arena next month.

31-year-old Parejo was beaten on a split-decision by Zhakiyanov in Monaco back in 2015.

Burnett, a former Youth Olympics gold medalist for Ireland, has won all 18 of his professional contests and picked up two world titles since entering the paid ranks in May of 2013.

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