By Alfredo Echenique Lugo
26 Jul 2024, 22:25 PM EDT
On November 6, 2021, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez defeated Caleb Plant by technical knockout in 11 rounds to win the super middleweight title endorsed by the International Boxing Federation and thus become the undisputed champion of the category.
However, this reign as absolute champion, holding the four belts of the boxing organizations, came to an end on July 26 after almost three years.
The IBF has decided to strip Canelo of his championship belt, leaving the Mexican with three titles, cutting short his streak as undisputed super middleweight champion.
The reason? The opponent Canelo chose for his next fight. The IBF had suggested that the Guadalajara native fight William Scull to defend his belt, but Alvarez ignored the suggestion and preferred to fight Edgar Berlanga on September 14.
“The mandatory defense of the IBF super middleweight title by Saul Alvarez is delayed. Therefore, the fight scheduled for September 14, 2024 does not comply with the indicated rule,” begins the statement issued by the international organization.
The statement also states that it respects the boxer’s decision to choose his opponent and ignore the mandatory challenger, Cuban Scull.
“The IBF places the utmost importance on maintaining an occupied title. Furthermore, it values and understands the importance of undisputed champion status for a fighter like Saul Alvarez, the sport and the fans. We understand that Saul Alvarez and his team made the decision to follow the path they considered appropriate for his career in the fight against Edgar Berlanga.”
However, the IBF reaffirms that the rules of the international organization are clear in this type of situation. Therefore, they have no other option but to strip Canelo of the belt he won in 2021.
“The IBF rules are clear and were designed to serve all parties affected in a matter such as this. Based on the above, the IBF had no other recourse than to vacate the IBF super middleweight title,” the text emphasizes.
With the loss of Canelo Alvarez’s title, Oleksandr Usyk is the only undisputed boxer left. The Ukrainian holds all four heavyweight belts.
The International Boxing Federation is also expected to order a fight between Vladimir Shishkin and William Scull for the vacant title in that category.
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