Why is Champion Boxer Canelo Alvarez Giving Up His Title?
It’s pretty rare for a champion boxer to give up their title, but that’s what’s likely going to happen with Canelo Alvarez. The hugely popular boxer and undisputed super middleweight champion is getting ready to turn in his crown, according to a report from BoxingScene.com. As BoxingScene.com describes, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will be leaving the IBF championship instead of fighting the sanctioning body’s challenger, William Scull.
Champion Boxer Canelo Alvarez to Give Up His Title, According to Reports
Here’s why champion boxer Canelo Alvarez is giving up his title. The IBF ordered the a fight between Canelo Alvarez and William Scull on May 13, but the parties weren’t able to come to an agreement. As IBF rules dictate, either party can ask for a purse bid during negotiations. Scull’s crew at AGON Sports & Events did just that. So, the IBF set the bid for June 6.
Why did the IBF pick Skull to go up against Alvarez? Well, Scull beat Evgeny Shvedenko in July 2022 in a final title eliminator. So, he’s actually been a mandatory challenger for Alvarez for roughly two years. Alvarez has been dragging his feet on his mandatory obligations lately. In fact, David Benavidez (WBC) and David Morrell (WBA) left the division for light heavyweight, because they didn’t want to wait for fights with Alvarez. Who knows if those fights would have ever happened, anyway.
So, why has Alvarez not wanted to fight his mandatory opponents? Instead, the champion boxer has been wanting to fight Edgar Berlanga, who became the WBA mandatory boxer as No. 1 contender when David Morrell left the division. After Berlanga beat Padraig McCrory in February, he went up seven spots in the WBA rankings, making him a desirable opponent for Alvarez. That said, Alvarez is choosing to leave his IBF title so that he can instead fight the champions he wants to fight. That’s his side of the story, but of course, people could speculate that he doesn’t want to lose to one of his mandatory opponents.
This has happened before, too. Back in 2019, Alvarez’s IBF middleweight championship title was taken away because he and his camp didn’t come to terms for a fight with his mandatory challenger at the time, Sergiy Derevyanchenko. He called the move “unfair” and put the blame on his promoters at the time, Golden Boy Promotions, publicly stating he “did not have the knowledge of the agreement that GBP match maker had signed.” As a boxing fan, I hope Alvarez’s next fight is a great one and that all the drama is worth it.
