Vitaly Klitschko Appeals WBC Title Defence To CAS

Klitschko will defend his title on March 21 in Stuttgart against Cuban Juan Carlos Gomez in the first mandatory fight.

Heavyweight champion Vitaly Klitschko has filed a complaint with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against a WBC order to make two mandatory defences in a row, his manager said on Wednesday.

Klitschko will defend his title on March 21 in Stuttgart against Cuban Juan Carlos Gomez in the first mandatory fight.

The WBC had decided that Ukrainian Klitschko must also fight former champion Oleg Maskaev within four months after the Gomez bout.

"Normally there is a year between mandatory title defences," Klitschko's manager Bernd Boente told German news agency SID, adding his fighter was not prepared to take on Maskaev because of this.

He said Klitschko, 37, should also not have to fight two mandatory bouts in a row.

Klitschko instead would prefer to fight Briton David Haye or American Chris Arreola in the second half of the year to obtain more lucrative deals, his team has said.

CAS was unavailable for a comment when contacted by Reuters.

Russian Maskaev lost his title to Nigerian Samuel Peter in March last year before Klitschko claimed it in October with a clear win over Peter.