Conor Benn has been elevated to the No.1 spot and is in line to become mandatory challenger for the WBC welterweight title, the 29-year-old has said.
Mario Barrios is the WBC champion at 147 pounds and is set to fight Ryan Garcia in February for the title.
The WBC confirmed Benn's status as No.1 in their rankings on Wednesday.
Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) is coming off a win over Chris Eubank Jr. in their rematch last month, after losing their first fight in April.
Both bouts were contested at middleweight, but Benn made it clear after the rematch he intends to go back down to welterweight and challenge for world titles in his natural weight division.
His path has now become clear after he was elevated to the No. 1 mandatory spot with the WBC.
"Just got the news I've been made No. 1 in the WBC rankings, mandatory for the WBC title," Benn said in a post on social media.
"I'll be watching Barrios vs. Garcia closely. I want the winner early next year. Q1, God willing, that WBC world title is mine. I'll be coming for that belt, and Britain will have a new world champion. Let's have it."
The WBC are holding their annual convention in Thailand, where promoters make a case for where their they believe their fighters should be ranked.
Last month, Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) declared he has signed to fight Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) on Feb. 21 but did not confirm a location.
Benn has said he wants to win the WBC belt after his father, Nigel Benn, won the strap at super middleweight in 1992, holding it until 1995.
