Elwin Soto will have to wait a few more weeks for his next title defense.

The reigning WBO junior flyweight beltholder from Mexicali remains in training camp for his ordered clash with mandatory challenger Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez, though their respective schedules will have to be altered. BoxingScene.com has learned that their bout will no longer take place on September 18 as once suggested.

An official reason for the delay was not made available. Eddie Hearn, Soto’s promoter and chairman of Matchroom Boxing did not respond to an inquiry seeking comment. Gonzalez’s team was not in a position to comment as the fight was never formally announced beyond declaration of an agreement being reached as to avoid a pending purse bid hearing.

Soto (19-1, 13KOs) is due to make the third defense of his title that he has held since June 2019. The reign began with a come-from-behind twelfth-round knockout of San Juan’s Angel ‘Tito’ Acosta, going on to score wins over Edward Heno and—in his most recent start this past May—former strawweight titlist Katsunari Takayama, coming shortly after Soto signed a promotional agreement with Matchroom.

Gonzalez (24-3-1, 14KOs) is a former flyweight title challenger now campaigning at junior flyweight. The 30-year-old southpaw from Caguas, Puerto Rico held his own for six rounds versus then-unbeaten three-division titlist Kosei Tanaka, leading on two cards before falling apart in the fateful seventh round of their August 2019 WBO flyweight title fight in Nagoya, Japan.

Two wins have followed, both coming at junior flyweight. Gonzalez was named as the mandatory challenger to Soto’s title following a points win over former title challenger Saul ‘Baby’ Juarez last February. He has since added a fourth-round stoppage of Armando Torres this past May in Tampa, Florida.

Soto-Gonzalez was first ordered on July 9, with the two sides given twenty (20) days to work out terms. The WBO had to get involved after not hearing from either party, ultimately ordering a purse bid hearing before canceling the session once an agreement was reached.

The fight was due to take place on a planned September 18 show which no longer appears to make its way to the schedule. Rumored to have headlined the card was former four-division titlist Mikey Garcia versus an opponent to be named. Another fight discussed for the show was unified WBA/IBF junior featherweight titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev (9-0, 7KOs) in a mandatory defense versus Ronny Rios. That fight fell through after Akhmadaliev tested positive for Covid, as previously reported by ‘The 3 Knockdown Rule’ podcast co-host Steve Kim.

Soto previously eyed a title unification bout with WBA “Super” champion Hiroto Kyoguchi, who also signed with Matchroom Boxing late in 2020 and who debuted under the company’s banner this past March. The proposed two-belt title fight fell apart once both were saddled with mandatory title defenses. Kyoguchi will likely move forward with a title consolidation clash with WBA “World” junior flyweight titlist Esteban Bermudez before he and Soto can revisit plans to unify, though a firm date has yet to be attached to the WBA title fight.

A rescheduled date in October likely awaits Soto-Gonzalez. Matchroom Boxing is currently working on plans to put together a show for October 16, while ESPN Deportes’ Salvador ‘Chava’ Rodriguez reported the possibility of an October 2 card also in the works, with both shows to air live on DAZN.

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