Dickens says he has been upgraded to world champion

Liverpool’s Jazza Dickens said he has been upgraded to WBA super-featherweight champion after Lamont Roach was stripped of the title.

American Roach was crowned champion in 2023 and defended once the following year but his last two fights, which have both ended in majority draws, have taken place at lightweight and light-welterweight respectively.

Dickens, 34, last fought in July, stopping Russia’s Albert Batyrgaziev in round four to win the WBA interim belt.

“A lifetime of hard work is starting to pay off. Huge thanks to all the people who’ve put me in this position,” Dickens told BBC Sport.

BBC Sport has contacted the WBA for confirmation.

Dickens will become Britain’s fourth reigning male champion along with Nick Ball, Lewis Crocker and Fabio Wardley.

He is scheduled to face undefeated Japanese super-featherweight Hayato Tsutsumi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 27 December.

Dickens has won 36 of his 41 fights, with 15 of those victories coming inside the distance, and two of his five defeats have come at world level.

In 2016, Dickens lost to WBA super-bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, of Cuba, and he also came up short against compatriot Kid Galahad for the IBF featherweight title in 2021.

Dickens has competed across three weight classes and was British champion at super-bantamweight and European champion at featherweight.