The WBO has a great history for not giving a **** for the mandatory challengers, if the beltholder has a bigger lobby and is not interested to fight against the top ranked boxers. A very good example is the light heavyweight title, where promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl never wanted to match good opposition with talented Zsolt Erdei, nor any gread fighter was interested to come to Germany to fight Erdei. Only Roy Jones Jr. mentioned once, that Erdei might be a possible opponent soon ... that was some weeks before Don King and Felix Trinidad offered him a fight. To conclude, if there might be a mandatory defense for Stieglitz some day, it wont be against a strong opponent. It will be against someone who held the WBO-NABO, WBO Latino, WBO-Intercontinental or WBO-who-the-****-cares-about-mediocre-paper-titles belt. Same thing like Kohl managed to arrange Erdei-Abron and Erdei-Blades as mandatory defenses. And Ulf Steinforth, the promoter of Stieglitz, seems to be something like an apprentice of Klaus-Peter Kohl. Expecially when it comes to get judges for strange decisions on scorecards.
So...for the poll voting we should answer "Who do you think it will be?" and then in the thread we should discuss who we'd like it to be? I'd like to see rematches with Balzsay or Andrade. Smith would be a good mesh of styles; Dirrell would not. Unbeaten but untested Stas Kashtanov shouldn't be close to a title shot but the WBO does have him in their top ten (#9 but might move up a spot if Ornelas falls out)...so maybe we'll wind up seeing him. :conf It could also be Jean Paul Mendy (WBO #5) if he's medically cleared to get back in the ring. The Super Six participants and guys Stieglitz already has a win over account for most of the top ten.
At first though I was thinking the WBO would jump on the new American star as their champion opportunity... but at second thought they will prefer the one who generates more money. Who would generate more money ? Dirrell or Stieglitz
Stieglitz is perhaps the most entertaining German fighter active (Abraham produces more knockouts but isn't really consistently entertaining from bell to bell). He would definitely make them more money in Germany than Dirrell would make in the US.
But then why rank Dirrell so high? If you want to avoid him being mandatory? You would rank Froch or Abraham higher because they are stuck in Super6 for a while. 1 Andre Dirrell USA 2 Carl Froch GB 3 Arthur Abraham ARM 4 Paul Smith GB 5 Jean Paul Mendy FRA 6 Eduard Gutknecht GER 7 Karoly Balzsay HUN 8 Enrique Ornelas MEX 9 Stas Kashtanov UKR 10 Medhi Bouadla (Int-Cont) FRA 11 Librado Andrade MEX 12 Francisco Sierra MEX 13 Brian Magee GB 14 Pablo O. Natalio Farias (Latino) ARG 15 Daniel Pawsey (Asia-Pacific)
Only they know. :conf How cruel would it be if they offered Andrade a chance to take another crack at Stieglitz with the belt on the line but told him that in order to get ranked he had to first beat up his own brother in an eliminator?
If the WBO want's to keep Stieglitz as their champion... favorites would be Paul Smith or Mendy if Bute doesn't wants to fight him(after becoming mandatory after being Ko'ed by Bika). If WBO would make him an offer to become Stieglitz mandatory I think he'll accept.
I've just seen your edited post now. If the WBO doesn't want's to risk to lose Stieglitz as their champ best options would be JP Mendy (hopfully- so Bute will be free of his weak mandatory) Paul Smith or untested but undefeated Stas Kashtanov
