By Jake Donovan

A day of canceled meetings normally mean time freed up, but such was not the case for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) on Tuesday. The sanctioning body was due to host a pair of purse bids at its headquarters in Springfield, New Jersey, but saw one canceled and the other postponed with the potential for a deal to be reached before its rescheduled date.

The IBF ordered an immediate rematch between Keita Obara and Walter Castillo to determine the next mandatory challenger for recently crowned super lightweight titlist Eduard Troyanovsky. A purse bid hearing was due to take place on Tuesday but postponed at the request of both camps.

“The Obara-Castillo (hearing) was postponed until January 5,” IBF spokesperson Jeanette Salazar informed BoxingScene.com on Tuesday.

The news came on the heels of teams representing unbeaten super featherweight champ Jose Pedraza and mandatory challenger Stephen Smith agreeing to terms for an upcoming March 26 title fight. News of the two sides working out final details helped avoid the matter going to a purse bid, also scheduled for Tuesday.

It’s possible that Obara and Castillo are able to reveal similar news prior to the rescheduled January 5 session. Representatives from both sides declined comment other than to inform BoxingScene.com that a deal will likely be reached in the coming days.

Once finalized, the bout will come as a rematch to their Nov. 7th title eliminator at Micosukee Indian Gaming Resort in Miami, Florida, which ended in a highly questionable 12-round draw.

Obara (15-1-1, 14KOs) was viewed as the clear winner by most observers as well as the broadcast team for the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC Sports Network-televised event (disclosure: this author served as the unofficial scorer for the telecast). The visiting fighter from Japan could fare no better than a 115-113 tally on one card, with matching scores of 114-114 resulting in a draw for his first fight outside of his native Japan.

Despite not getting fair play from the official judges, Obara didn’t rule out a return to the United States, whether for a rematch with Castillo or against any other top super lightweight.

“My team and I, we all really enjoyed our time here,” Obara told BoxingScene.com at the time. “I would love to one day fight again here in the United States, though also would also welcome a rematch in Japan. If not, then any other fight that would get us to the world title.”

Regardless of when the rematch is staged, Troyanovksy is still permitted to take on an optional defense. The unbeaten champion from Russia claimed the belt with a 6th round stoppage of previously undefeated Argentine stylist Cesar Cuenca in Kazan, Russia, taking place three days prior to the first meet between Obara and Castillo.

His next mandatory title defense will be due by no later than August 4, assuming he has an official challenger by that point.

Meanwhile, he can take on an optional defense – rumored to be an undesirable rematch with Cuenca – as long as it is completed by June 4. Once the mandatory title fight is ordered, the champion and challenger will have 30 days to negotiate and finalize terms or else will be subject to a purse bid hearing, at which point any registered promoter can secure the rights to said fight.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox