By Putra Permata Tegar

Jakarta. Indonesia’s Daud Yordan has decided to relinquish his International Boxing Organization world lightweight title and part ways with trainer Craig Christian as he sets his sights on the more challenging and lucrative World Boxing Organization.

“I’m moving to the WBO as I fought under that organization early on in my career,” Daud told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday. “I later moved to the IBO, where I won my world title, and now I want to return to the WBO as I think I will improve more there.

“Right now my management team is taking care of the legal things and documents with the WBO and we’re waiting for their confirmation. Once I get the green light, I can complete my move.”

While both the WBO and the IBO are globally acknowledged sanctioning bodies for the sport, the latter is not recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame, which recognizes four major sanctioning bodies: the WBO, the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Association.

Daud also announced that he was splitting with Christian, the Australian trainer he partnered with last December.

“I’m not with Christian anymore, though I’m still under promoter Raja Sapta Oktohari,” he said.

“Now I’m training in my home base [of Pontianak, West Kalimantan] as I feel it’s easier to get various sparring partners and it helps me to prepare better.”

Daud’s move also means cancelling a title defense against South Africa’s Sipho Taliwe planned for Dec. 14 — a bout that the boxer concedes was only scraped together after his management failed to get other contenders, keeping him out of the ring since December last year, when he beat Taliwe on points.

“There are too many roadblocks if I stay in the IBO as I can’t get any fights scheduled,” Daud said.

“It’s even harder to arrange a high-profile unification bout as it takes lot of negotiations. I think my plan to move to the WBO will boost my bid to get high-profile fights.”

Of the rematch with Taliwe, Daud said, “The fight is canceled and now I’m back to my hometown to prepare for my next fight, which will be in Pontianak.”

But the 27-year-old acknowledged that he might have to wait a while to get a shot at a title fight, given that he will rank outside the top 15 lightweight fighters in the WBO when he joins.

“I think I need to win three to four fights before making my way to the top of the challengers’ list,” he said.

Daud clinched the vacant IBO lightweight title when he beat Daniel Eduardo Brizuela of Argentina in Perth, Australia, in July last year. He went on to mount just one defense, against Taliwe in December that year.

Bouts planned for April and later June this year were canceled.