Kosei Tanaka is not wasting any time in his pursuit of boxing history.

The unbeaten former three-division titlist has exercised his “Super” champion status with the World Boxing Organization (WBO), prompting the sanctioning body to officially order a mandatory title fight between Tanaka and reigning 115-pound champion Kazuto Ioka.

Katutaka Yoshino of Watanabe Promotions and Kiysoshi Hatanaka of Hatanaka Promotions—whom represent Ioka and Tanaka, respectively—were sent a letter of the official order on Thursday, a copy of which has been obtained by BoxingScene.com.

“Please be advised the parties have twenty (20) days upon receipt of this letter to negotiate and reach an agreement regarding the WBO Jr. Bantamweight Mandatory Championship contest between Champion Kazuto Ioka and Mandatory Challenger Kosei Tanaka,” Luis Batista-Salas, executive chairman of the WBO Championship Committee stated. “If an accord is not reached within the time frame set forth herein, a Purse Bid will be ordered pursuant with the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.”

The order comes just two days after Tanaka (15-0, 9KOs) officially abdicated his flyweight title reign, and less than a month after he was bestowed “Super” Champion status by the WBO. The distinction allows a select number of elite titlists to challenge for a title upon decision to move up in weight, as recently exercised by record-setting seven division titlist Amanda Serrano and former World cruiserweight king Oleksandr Usyk, the latter whom now serves as the mandatory challenger to Anthony Joshua’s WBO heavyweight title.

All three of Tanaka’s title reigns have involved the WBO, claiming the sanctioning body’s crown at strawweight, junior flyweight and flyweight. Tanaka achieved the latter of the three in just his 12th pro bout, outlasting countryman Sho Kimura in their September 2018 war which was rightly named 2018 Fight of the Year by several publications, including BoxingScene.com.

The feat also allowed Tanaka to join two-time Olympic Gold medalist and current pound-for-pound entrant Vasiliy Lomachenko in the record books as the quickest run to three-divisional titles by a male boxer. He now has a chance to hold a record all to himself as the quickest to four divisional titles. Oscar de la Hoya holds the mark on the male side, having accomplished the feat by his 24th pro fight and just two months after his 24th birthday.

As Tanaka turns 25 in June, he will have to settle for attempting the feat in the fewest number of bouts, although it’s hardly a guarantee that he is successful at least on the first try as on the other side of the equation is his countryman who boasts Hall of Fame credentials.

Ioka (25-2, 14KOs) currently sits as the only male boxer from Japan to win four divisional titles. The future Hall of Famer achieved that feat last June, stopping Aston Palicte in 10 rounds to win the WBO 115-pound title he has since defended with a 12-round decision over previously unbeaten Jeyvier Cintron last New Year’s Eve in Tokyo, Japan.

The same card saw Tanaka lodge his final flyweight title defense, tearing through Thailand’s Wulan Tuolehazi in three rounds.

Ioka sensed the writing on the wall, as he has since angled for a unification clash with Juan Francisco Estrada, the division’s lineal and World Boxing Council (WBC) champion. The pursuit was never really embraced by the other side, as Estrada’s handlers—Fernando Beltran’s Zanfer Promotions and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing USA—are more keen on the lineal and World Boxing Council (WBC) 115-pound king facing the winner of the February 29 clash between World Boxing Association (WBA) champ Kal Yafai (26-0, 15KOs) and former four-division titlist Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez.

It’s now a moot point, as Ioka’s next order of business is to negotiate terms with his countryman and block—or at least stall—Tanaka’s pursuit of boxing immortality.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox