Ryan Garcia defeated the champion, but did not take the belt. What is the reason?

In New York City, USA, last night witnessed an evening of boxing presented by Matchroom Boxing. The main event of this spectacle was a bout for the WBC World title in the welterweight division.

In the ring, two Americans clashed. Devin Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) defended his title against Ryan Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs).

During the fight, Haney was knocked down three times, but the athletes still fought all twelve rounds and the winner had to be determined by the judges. By a split decision (112-112; 114-110; 115-109), victory was awarded to Ryan Garcia. Consequently, he managed to halt Haney's almost five-year reign as the belt holder.

However, Garcia himself did not become the new champion. Prior to the bout, during the weigh-in ceremony, the American exceeded the maximum allowed weight by 3.2 pounds (1.45 kg).

According to the procedure, if the contender exceeds the allowable weight limit and defeats the champion, the title becomes vacant.

Thus, at present, the WBC welterweight title remains unclaimed, and the organization itself will decide which of the boxers should contest for the vacant championship belt.