Felix Alvarado has a chance to gain revenge and collect a major title in one fell swoop.

The Ring has confirmed that the IBF has ordered Mexico’s Angel Ayala, its reigning flyweight titlist, to next defend against Nicaragua’s Alvarado. Both fighters and their respective camps were instructed on Sunday to immediately enter a 30-day negotiation period for the mandatory title fight.

“IBF Flyweight champion Angel Ayala won his title on August 9, 2024,” IBF Championship Committee chairman Carlos Ortiz informed both camps in a ruling obtained by The Ring. “His mandatory is due on or before February 9, 2025.

“The next leading contender is #3 Felix Alvarado. Negotiations should commence immediately.”

The two sides have until Jan. 28 to reach a deal and avoid a purse bid hearing.

Ayala (18-0, 8 KOs) is The Ring No. 1 flyweight. Alvarado—a former IBF junior flyweight titlist—is No. 7.

The order came just two days after Alvarado (42-4, 35 KOs) punched his way back into contention. He claimed a majority decision over Argentina’s Tobias Reyes (16-0-1 at the time) in their IBF title eliminator Friday evening in Managua, Nicaragua.

Scores were 114-114 even and 115-113 twice for Alvarado.

Such a fight will represent a rematch to their IBF title eliminator, won by Ayala via questionable unanimous decision last Oct. 14 in Merida, Mexico. Alvarado floored Ayala in the opening round and appeared to have done enough to deserve the decision.

He was briefly declared the winner before ring announcer Pablo Flores realized his own error and revealed that Ayala claimed the win by scores of 114-113 on all three cards.

Ayala went on to win the IBF flyweight title in his next fight, a sixth-round knockout of unbeaten Dave Apolinario (20-0 at the time) on Aug. 9 in Mexico City. The feat represented Ayala’s only fight in 2024 and his lone ring appearance since the win over Alvarado.

Three wins have followed for Alvarado, all in 2024 and at home in Managua. Friday’s victory put him back in line for a second shot to become a two-division titlist. He held the IBF 108-pound belt from Oct. 2018 through March 2022, when he vacated to campaign at flyweight.

A title shot came later that year, albeit in a losing effort to then-unbeaten IBF 112-pound king Sunny Edwards (18-0 at the time) in Sheffield, England.