The IBF has officially ordered the former junior middleweight champion and No. 5-ranked contender to take on No. 4 Caoimhin Agyarko in a final eliminator. The winner of that bout will become the mandatory challenger to Josh Kelly’s crown.

The announcement comes on the heels of unfortunate news. Brandon Adams, No. 3 in the IBF rankings and coming off a win over Serhii Bohachuk, was scheduled to face Agyarko on April 11 for that mandatory spot. However, on the day of their weigh-in, Adams collapsed in his hotel room and was immediately hospitalized, leading to the cancelation of their bout.

With Adams recovering, the IBF wants to keep the division moving. Murtazaliev has already informed the sanctioning body that he plans to participate, it stated. It’s unclear whether Agyarko will follow suit.

The 29-year-old Irish native is undefeated, but figures to be the underdog should the deal be finalized. Agyarko (18-0, 7 KOs) went life-and-death with fringe contender Ishmael Davis last September, winning a split decision.

For Murtazaliev (23-1, 17 KOs), this is a chance at redemption. The 33-year-old Russian lost his IBF strap to Kelly on January 31 via majority decision. Soon after, Murtazaliev filed a petition for an immediate rematch. The petition was denied, but the sanctioning body ranked him in its top five.

Ultimately, even if Murtazaliev beats Agyarko, a rematch with Kelly (18-1-1, 9 KOs) won’t happen anytime soon. The newly minted title holder is said to be deep in negotiations with Sebastian Fundora, the division’s WBC champion. The winner of their proposed bout would hold two titles.

Also, Eddie Hearn, Kelly’s promoter, said he’ll attempt to arrange for the winner of that bout to face the winner of Xander Zayas vs. Jaron Ennis for the undisputed championship.