Badou Jack’s first title defense of his second title reign is now subject to the highest bidder.

The Ring has confirmed that for Jack’s ordered bout against mandatory challenger Ryan Rozicki (20-1-1, 19 KOs) will now head to a purse bid hearing. The session will now take place on Wednesday, a one-day delay from the original deadline.

The two sides had until Tuesday to reach a deal, at which point the WBC was prepared to hold the hearing during its weekly Martes de Café meeting. It will instead take place on Wednesday, absent an agreement between the respective parties.

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’ due to his legal battle with estranged Hall of Fame promoter Don King. It has since been resolved, as Mikaelyan is now in line to face the Jack-Rozicki winner.

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.