The sanctioning body has officially ordered Lindolfo Delgado, its No. 1 junior welterweight contender, to take on Arthur Biyarslanov, ranked No. 5, for the vacant strap.

Delgado has waited patiently for his shot at gold. The 31-year-old was originally ordered to fight Richardson Hitchins. However, the 2016 Olympian opted to move up to welterweight, relinquishing his title in the process.

Unfortunately for Delgado, he was forced to play the waiting game. He was eventually ordered to fight former two-division champion Teofimo Lopez, but the talented 28-year-old declined as he’s also moving up in weight. Keyshawn Davis, ranked No. 4, is leaning toward heading over to the 147-pound division as well.

A fight against Oscar Duarte, ranked No. 3 in the IBF, was never on the table, as the two are stablemates and share the same trainer, Robert Garcia.

Delgado, a 2016 Olympian, hasn’t fought since winning a split decision win over Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela last November. Biyarslanov, though, has been more active. The 31-year-old already has a 2026 victory under his belt as he stopped Jimmerr Espinosa in April.

The IBF have also made a move at super middleweight.

Diego Pacheco, ranked No. 6 by The Ring and No. 5 in the IBF, has been ordered to face No. 4-ranked contender, Troy Williamson.

Just last year, Williamson’s career was going in the wrong direction. The 34-year-old had lost four of his last five. However, back-to-back stoppage victories over Mark Dickinson and Callum Simpson got him back on track.

Pacheco, while undefeated, has been on the receiving end of some criticism. The California native turned down an IBF eliminator against Christian Mbilli in 2024. He also turned a second chance to fight Mbilli, this time for the WBC interim title. The same pattern continued as he was ordered to fight Hamzah Sheeraz for the vacant WBO super middleweight strap but declined.

He was last seen in December, 2025, eking out a close points victory over Kevin Sadjo. The winner of Pacheco (25-0, 18 KOs) vs. Williamson (22-4-1, 16 KOs) would become the mandatory challenger to IBF champion, Osleys Oglesias.