The IBF Orders Lindolfo Delgado vs Arthur Biyarslanov To ‘Resume Negotiations’

After much of Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli fight week centered on junior welterweight contender Lindolfo Delgado not making the trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, due to potential security issues, the IBF announced an update on Tuesday to make things right.

Delgado (24-0, 16 KOs) was scheduled to face Arthur Biyarslanov (21-0, 17 KOs) for the vacant IBF 140-pound title. Although Biyarslanov made the trip to Riyadh without incident, Delgado and his team felt the security risk was too great to make the trip. On Tuesday, the IBF issued the following statement:

“The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has ordered Lindolfo Delgado and Arthur Biyarslanov to resume negotiations for the vacant IBF Jr. Welterweight title. Delgado secured the #1 and mandatory challenger position on November 15, 2025, with his victory over Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela in the IBF ordered eliminator bout. On May 27, 2026, the IBF ordered Delgado and Biyarslanov to negotiate for the vacant title, and the two sides reached an agreement for a bout scheduled for October 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. On October 24, however, the IBF received notification from Mr. Delgado’s team that he had decided not to travel to Saudi Arabia for the contest. After reviewing the circumstances, the IBF has ordered both fighters to negotiate again. The deadline for negotiations is November 23, 2026.”

Now that negotiations are back open, let’s hope they can make the fight happen. The only issue now is that it would be on a different fight card, which will likely have a different budget.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

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