Golden Boy Promotions may have secured a golden opportunity for one of its rising contenders.

On Friday morning, the company secured the rights to the WBA 122-pound title eliminator between Raeese Aleem and Azat Hovhannisyan with a bid of $80,001. Golden Boy will have 10 days to generate final contracts for the bout, which would feature two undefeated fighters whom are looking to get one step closer to title glory.

However Aleem (18-0, 12 knockouts) is already signed to face Eduardo Baez on November 27, in a Showtime-televised tripleheader, at MGM’s Park Theater in Las Vegas. Although that fight is just weeks away, if Aleem opts to face Baez, the WBA will declare Hovhannisyan the mandatory challenger to face unbeaten unified titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev.

BoxingScene.com was first to report the story.

While it may not seem sportsmanlike or classy, “The Beast,” 31, a Michigan native based in Las Vegas, may have no choice but to abandon Baez for the shot of a lifetime. Given that he opts to fight Hovhannisyan and wins, Aleem will have a guaranteed title shot in 2022. As they say in boxing, it’s every man for himself.

Other than the massive thumb of the WBA, Aleem doesn’t have very many options at his weight class. He can’t face Akhmadaliev, who was initially ordered to next face Ronny Rios until the latter came down with a case of COVID-19. Jose Velasquez subsequently replaced Rios.

Brandon Figueroa, who holds the WBC 122-pound belt, is also unavailable as he is set to square off with fellow undefeated WBO titlist Stephen Fulton in a much-hyped unification extravaganza.

Aleem, The Ring’s No.7-ranked junior featherweight, has not fought since January 23, when he stopped previously unbeaten Vic Pasillas in the 11th round in Connecticut. The Ring’s eighth-ranked 122-pounder, Hovhannisyan (20-3, 16 KOs), 33, an Armenian fighting out of Los Angeles, has won five of his last six bouts by knockout and has not dropped a fight since May 2018, when Rey Vargas outpointed him to successfully defend the WBC junior featherweight title.

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