Daniel Valladares is off the hook for the moment.

BoxingScene,com has confirmed that the reigning IBF strawweight titlist was granted a medical exception in lieu of a mandatory title defense. Valladares will instead sit back and watch a fight between his two most recent opponents as the already announced Rene Cuarto-Ginjiro Shigeoka bout will now serve as an interim IBF strawweight title fight.

The winner will be granted a straightaway shot at Valladares once he is medically cleared to return to the ring.

Valladares was considered fortunate to retain his title following his bout with Tokyo’s Shigeoka (8-0, 6KOS; 1NC) on January 6 in Osaka, Japan. Shigeoka appeared early to be well on his way to a win when a clash of heads forced an immediate break in the action. Valladares (26-3-1, 15KOs; 1NC) was left dizzy and unable to continue. The fight was stopped at 2:48 of round three, with Shigeoka reduced to tears after being denied the title.

The reigning titlist from Monterrey, Mexico was still suffering the effects from that fight as the deadline approached to next face Cuarto within 90 days of his previous title defense. Valladares’ team took their time to file the medical exception, which was received upon the announcement of Cuarto-Shigeoka taking place April 16 at Yoyogi National 2nd Gymnasium in Tokyo.

The stakes were not immediately known at the time of Tuesday’s announcement. However, both boxers were confident of at least an interim title at stake, if not the full title had the IBF ruled to instead strip Valladares of the belt.

Cuarto (21-3-2, 12KOs) held the IBF title for just more than 16 months, having won the belt from and successfully defended in his two-fight series with countryman Pedro Taduran. His lone fight since losing the title to Valladares came last December 23, when Cuarto scored a second-round knockout of Dexter Alimento.

Shigeoka remains on the title stage where he is joined by older brother Yudai Shigeoka (6-0, 4KOs), who challenges WBC strawweight titlist Panya Pradabsri in the main event on the same show. Both bouts will air live on Abema TV in Japan.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox