The IBF has sought to crown a new 140lbs champion in the wake of Richardson Hitchins’ decision to move up in weight.Teofimo Lopez has been contacted by the major sanctioning body to establish his availability for a vacant super lightweight world title fight against Lindolfo Delgado.Hitchins has vacated his IBF super lightweight titleGettyHitchins had been ordered to defend the red and gold strap against No.1-ranked IBF contender Delgado in February after the American withdrew from a voluntary defence with Oscar Duarte due to illness. However, Hitchins chose to relinquish his belt to compete in the Zuffa Boxing welterweight division.Confirming the news to Ring Magazine, Hitchins’ manager, Keith Connolly, said: “It was a tough decision for Hitchins, but he’s outgrown the weight class.“He’s been fighting at 140 since he was 16 as an amateur. “Hitchins is an elite fighter, and I truly believe he’ll be even better and stronger at welterweight. “And that he will be fighting for a world title at 147 in the next 12 months.”Will Teofimo Lopez accept the call?At present, the IBF’s No.2 spot is vacant while No.3-ranked Duarte and No.4-rated Keyshawn Davis have upcoming fights booked in May.Lopez (22-2) is therefore the next highest-ranked available contender at No.5.‘The Takeover’ dropped his WBO super lightweight belt in January via a lopsided unanimous decision defeat to Shakur Stevenson in New York.While an IBF world title shot presents Lopez with an opportunity to immediately get back on the horse, the 28-year-old has stated on numerous occasions that he intends to jump up to 147lbs.GettyLopez, who is coming off a wide points defeat to Stevenson, has been approached to box for the vacant world title[/caption]GettyDelgado is the No. 1-ranked IBF super lightweight contender and is searching for an opponent[/caption]If he decides to pass on the title shot, then the IBF will continue to go down its rankings until a boxer accepts the call.No. 6-rated Arthur Biyarslanov is the next highest-ranked contender after Lopez, while Gabriel Valenzuela, Adam Azim, Ernesto Mercado and Gustavo Lemos make up the top 10.Who is Lindolfo Delgado?Delgado (24-0) enjoyed a fruitful amateur career that included a silver medal at the Pan American Games and a spot at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.However, he has yet to record a statement-making win in the paid ranks.Delgado almost lost his undefeated record last November when he picked himself up off the deck in the 12th round to eke out a split decision win over Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela.He also had a close encounter with Bryan Flores in August 2024, and hasn’t looked like a world beater thus far.Boxing scheduleFor all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s boxing schedule.