Badou Jack has been summoned to make his first defense as a two-time cruiserweight titleholder.

The Ring has confirmed that the WBC has officially assigned the negotiation period for Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs) to next face mandatory challenger Ryan Rozicki (20-1-1, 19 KOs). The two sides have until Feb. 4 to reach an agreement and avoid a purse bid hearing, which is reserved in advance for that same day.

Rozicki is rated No. 7 at cruiserweight by The Ring. Jack is unranked due to an inactive period coming up on twelve months. The Ring ratings policy calls for fighter removal after twelve or months of inactivity.

Jack—a Swedish Olympian now based in Dubai—was reinstated as a cruiserweight titlist during the WBC’s annual convention last December in Hamburg, Germany. The three-division title claimant replaced Noel Mikaelyan (27-2, 12 KOs), who was downgraded to ‘Champion in Recess’ as he remains in a legal battle with estranged Hall of Fame promoter Don King.

Mikaelyan has not fought since his Nov. 2023 knockout win over Ilunga ‘Junior’ Makabu to win the title relinquished by Jack earlier that year.

Jack defeated Makabu in Feb. 2023 but opted to pursue a bridgerweight title opportunity that never transpired. The 41-year-old is now recommitted to campaigning at cruiserweight.

Rozicki has been the mandatory challenger for nearly a year. He made several attempts to challenge Mikaelyan, only for their ordered bout to suffer multiple postponements and an eventual outright cancellation.

A concession was made by the WBC to permit Rozicki to compete for its interim title. It came against Argentina’s Yamil Peralta in a Dec. 7 rematch to their May 2022 meeting won by Rozicki via a questionable split decision.

Their sequel ended in a majority draw, though most felt Rozicki deserved the nod this time around. The stalemate did not hurt his positioning as the WBC’s No. 1 contender.

“We are in negotiations with Team Jack,” Daniel Otter, Rozicki’s promoter, told The Ring. “All TV options are being explored to make this fight happen as soon as we can. We are confident Ryan will be the WBC Cruiserweight champion.

“Badou is a great fighter, but he has his hands full, to say the least. Ryan is dialed in and ready for this fight.”

Jake Donovan is part of the U.S. team for The Ring. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.