what is an interim champion

An interim champion is a temporary champion who holds a title that is awarded by the sanctioning bodies of professional boxing, and in other combat sports such as kickboxing, professional wrestling, and mixed martial arts. The interim championship is an alternate title that is awarded when the original champion is unable to defend their title due to injury, illness, or other reasons beyond their control. Once the original champion can return, at the discretion of the sanctioning body or promotion concerned, they must defend their title against the interim champion - who will relinquish their interim title to fight for the full world title. If the original champion cannot return, refuses to defend their title, or transfers to a different weight division, the interim champion is promoted to full championship status. In the case of professional wrestling, an interim championship is rarely used as most reasons usually lead to the champion being stripped of the title and a new champion is determined.