The next two weeks will determine promotional rights for the Sivenathi Nontshinga-Regie Suganob IBF junior flyweight title fight—whether via auction or through an eleventh-hour deal.

BoxingScene.com has confirmed that the mandatory title fight is now the subject of an April 11 purse bid hearing at IBF headquarters in Springfield, New Jersey. The ruling was made when the deadline expired without a confirmed deal in place during the negotiation period that began on February 28.

Nontshinga is entitled to 65-percent of the winning bid as the defending champion, while Suganob and his team will get the remaining 35-percent as the mandatory challenger. However, Boxing Scene has learned that both sides continue to find common ground and are hopeful that a deal can be reached ahead of the scheduled session.

South Africa’s Nontshinga is represented by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and whose career is guided by the brilliant Colin Nathan. Suganob—a 25-year-old contender from Bohol, Philippines—enters his first career title fight as the mandatory challenger and is promoted by Floriezly Podot’s PMI Bohol Boxing Promotions.

Nontshinga (11-0, 9KOs) claimed the IBF title via well-earned split decision victory over Tijuana’s Hector Flores (20-0-4 at the time) in their savagely fought vacant title clash last September 3 on the road in Hermosillo, Mexico. The Fight of the Year contender marked the first career fight outside of South Africa for the 24-year-old Nontshinga, who had a brief window of opportunity to enter a voluntary defense while the IBF sought to establish his next mandatory challenger.

Unfortunately for the defending champ, too much time had passed to still seek out that option.

Suganob (13-0, 4KOs) filled the mandatory void after a technical decision over Mark Vicelles in their February 25 IBF final eliminator between unbeaten Filipino contenders at Calape (Philippines) Cultural Center. The fight was stopped at 1:39 of round eight when a cut over the right eyebrow of Vicelles (17-1-1, 10KOs)—caused by a headbutt two rounds prior—was deemed unfit to continue by the ringside doctor.

Ringside judges Gil Co (80-71), Adam Height (78-73) and Greg Ortega (77-74) all scored the contest in favor of Sugnaob, who picked up his fourth win in just 50 weeks. It marks his third over a previously unbeaten fighter within his last five fights, and came less than six months after he pitched a ten-round shutout over Indonesia’s Andika D’Golden Boy (19-0-1 at the time) last September 9 in Dimaio, Bohol.

Interestingly, Suganob advanced as the highest available contender to face Vicelles in the title eliminator after Flores passed on the opportunity.

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