Fujimoto fight is off. Just posted by "crunch" over on checkhookboxing.com (crunch is the name that Stuart Duncan, duco's matchmaker, goes by on that forum):
"Joe isn't fighting Fujimoto - he pulled out after Joe's win over Saglam. The reason he was considered in the first instance is because Joe wanted to secure the OPBF title and no other heavyweight from within the region wanted to face him. Lucas doesn't want to defend his Commonwealth & Eurasia titles against Joe so the only other path to a WBC rating was the OPBF - making it a meaningful fight. We have now secured another opponent and an announcement will be made tomorrow. We have to work within the landscape that is out there - Fujimoto is rated 15 by the WBC and qualifies to contest for the title as he is from within the region. Every boxer who is rated suitably was approached and rejected lucrative offers. For the record - Fujimoto is a former 2 time K1 champion who was beating Haumono until Sol got a decent punch in. The fight was offered to Sol before Fujimoto amongst others."
"Joe isn't fighting Fujimoto - he pulled out after Joe's win over Saglam. The reason he was considered in the first instance is because Joe wanted to secure the OPBF title and no other heavyweight from within the region wanted to face him. Lucas doesn't want to defend his Commonwealth & Eurasia titles against Joe so the only other path to a WBC rating was the OPBF - making it a meaningful fight. We have now secured another opponent and an announcement will be made tomorrow. We have to work within the landscape that is out there - Fujimoto is rated 15 by the WBC and qualifies to contest for the title as he is from within the region. Every boxer who is rated suitably was approached and rejected lucrative offers. For the record - Fujimoto is a former 2 time K1 champion who was beating Haumono until Sol got a decent punch in. The fight was offered to Sol before Fujimoto amongst others."