By Jake Donovan

Barring a no-contest or a stalemate, a World lightweight champion will be crowned on November 29 in Omaha, Nebraska.

The forthcoming matchup between Terence Crawford and Raymundo Beltran represents the top two lightweights as seen by BoxingScene.com. With that, the winner of their HBO headliner at the CenturyLink Center will earn recognition as the World (lineal) lightweight champion.

The slot has been vacant since Juan Manuel Marquez formally abandoned the division in 2012. His last recognized title fight at the weight took place in Nov. '10, an off-the-canvas 9th round knockout win over Michael Katsidis.

As that bout took place on Thanksgiving weekend, it's only fitting that the same time of the year will crown the next World lightweight champion.

Crawford (24-0, 17KOs) claimed his first major title with a points win over Ricky Burns this past March on the road in Glasgow, Scotland. He now enjoys the benefit of fighting for the second straight time at home after having never previously fought in Omaha as a pro. His previous fight was his first title defense, a 9th round knockout of Yuriorkis Gamboa this past June in one of the best fights of the year.

Beltran (29-6-1, 17KOs) can plead a strong case for deserving to own the title currently in Crawford's possession. The veteran from Mexico was viewed as the victim of a horrifically scored drsw in his own fight with Burns last September. Beltran dropped the defending titlist and broke his jaw, but could fare no better than a split decision draw in a fight that was viewed as high among the worst decsions of 2013.

The veteran contender has since bounced back with a 12-round decision over Arash Usmanee this past April.

The forthcoming vacant lineal lightweight championship will air live on HBO.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America . Twitter: @JakeNDaBox