PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) - Bernard Hopkins will get his wish.

WBC president Jose Sulaiman on Thursday informed the former middleweight champion his request for an immediate rematch with Jermain Taylor has been granted.

Hopkins petitioned the WBC to allow the rematch citing WBC Championship Elimination Rule 1.32, which provides that in cases in which the champion has been defeated in a bout that the WBC Board of Governors believes was extremely controversial or irregular, the WBC can order a direct rematch.

"As a promoter representing a fighter, who in this case is myself, I knew I was doing the right thing by filing this appeal," Hopkins said in a prepared statement. "And for the oldest sanctioning body in boxing to support my case, after reviewing the tape themselves, speaks for itself. I am very happy with the decision."

Taylor won the undisputed middleweight title on July 16 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with a split-decision victory over Hopkins (46-3-1), who successfully had defended the title 20 times and had not lost a fight since falling to Roy Jones Jr. in 1993.

Judges Duane Ford and Paul Smith scored the bout 115-113 in favor of Taylor, while Jerry Roth had it 116-113 for the former champion. A draw was averted when Ford gave the final round to Taylor, while the other two judges awarded the round to Hopkins.

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