The Ring has learned that the WBA have rejected Zach Parker’s request for an immediate rematch with Joshua Buatsi.

Last Saturday night, Buatsi (20-1, 13 KOs) was awarded a disputed majority decision over Parker (26-2, 18 KOs) after their scrappy 10-round light heavyweight fight at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.

Although the fight failed to catch fire, Parker followed his gameplan to a tee and Buatsi struggled mightily to track him down. At the final bell, the vast majority of observers expected Parker to have his hand raised.

The decision in Buatsi’s favour generated a huge amount of controversy and Parker’s team lodged an immediate appeal with the WBA.

On Thursday the sanctioning body informed Parker’s team and Queensberry Promotions that, having evaluated the appeal, they have decided not to impose an immediate rematch.

Despite the win, Buatsi dropped from No. 5 to No. 8 in The Ring’s latest ratings. He will now target a 2026 world title shot and will be an interested observer when David Benavidez defends his WBC title against Anthony Yarde on Ring IV which takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 22.

Although Parker has received a huge amount of public support, he will now want to plot a route back into contention as quickly as possible.

It is believed that he could target the popular Liam Cameron (24-7-1, 10 KOs) who won a controversial decision of his own over Troy Jones on Saturday’s card.