A welterweight unification clash between Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez may have to wait, at least for now.That is because Lopez has been ordered to defend his WBA ‘super’ belt against secondary ‘regular’ champion Jack Catterall.Lopez must face Catterall next if he hopes to keep hold of his WBA beltGettyThe decision stems from the conditions established by the WBA’s Championship Committee after Rolly Romero was elevated from ‘regular’ to ‘super’ champion in August last year.It was determined at the time that the winner of a WBA ‘regular’ fight between Shakhram Giyasov and Catterall in May would become the mandatory challenger for Romero.Catterall subsequently defeated Olympic silver medallist Giyasov, while Romero dropped his belt in an optional defence against Lopez in August.In becoming WBA champion, Lopez inherited the obligations previously placed on Romero, resulting in the fight with Catterall being ordered on Tuesday afternoon.Both parties have 30 days to agree terms.If a deal cannot be reached, then a purse bid will be ordered on October 22.Teofimo Lopez’s ultimatum Lopez must now decide whether to relinquish his belt and go straight into a money-spinning clash with Garcia or defend his black and gold strap against Catterall first.Boxing insider Chris Mannix reported earlier this week that representatives of Lopez and Garcia had entered into preliminary discussions.According to Mannix, conversations centred around a February 6 date at New York’s Madison Square Garden, but that would now likely be too tight of turn around for Lopez if he intends to box Catterall.It could all end up working out for the better as Garcia vs Lopez had initially been earmarked for Cinco De Mayo weekend (May 1).Lopez has inherited Romero’s mandatory obligationsGettyRepresentatives of Garcia and Lopez had been in preliminary discussionsGettyLopez could fight Catterall at the back end of this year and then have sufficient rest for showdown with Garcia in May.That is, of course, dependent on him beating Catterall, who has been in excellent form since linking up with new trainer Bozy Ennis.Jack Catterall spoke to talkSPORT earlier todayHours before the WBA’s announcement, Catterall joined talkSPORT’s Hawksbee and Jacobs show on Tuesday to discuss the mandatory situation.Asked whether he thought Lopez would take up the challenge and fight him, Catterall replied: “There are mixed feelings at the moment.“I see the stuff online with Ryan Garcia. Obviously, I’m not daft; that is a big commercial fight between two big Americans.“If they want to fight, that is brilliant. He’ll vacate the belt, and I’ll get upgraded, and then it is up to me to defend the title. I’m in a good position.“Obviously, I want the chance to fight Teofimo Lopez and keep proving to the public that I belong at this level.”Watch Boxing on DAZN*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenueSign up to DAZN to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate from just £24.99/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.Alternatively, DAZN Standard is just £15.99/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.Click here to sign up.