In the world of professional boxing, titles and championships are the pinnacle of an athlete’s career. They represent years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance in the ring. However, sometimes circumstances arise that force even the most decorated champions to part ways with their hard-earned titles. This has recently been the case for boxing legend Canelo Alvarez, who has been stripped of his IBF super-middleweight title as he prepares to defend his other 168-pound crowns against rising star Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas on September 14.
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) decided to strip Alvarez of the super-middleweight title following his “failure – or reluctance – to strike a deal with contender David Benavidez, who has since moved up to light heavyweight with a win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk earlier this month.”
The IBF will reportedly order a fight between Scull and Vladimir Shiskin.
‘Once we officially notify the involved parties we will issue a statement,’ IBF president Daryl Peoples told ESPN.
The unified champion (61-2-2, 39 KOs) will put the WBC, WBA and WBO versions of the 168-pound title on the line in the bout at T-Mobile Arena, which will be available by pay-per-view on Prime Video.
The Mexican superstar has had a number of his biggest bouts around his country’s holiday, including all three of his fights against Gennady Golovkin.
Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) won his first 16 pro fights by first-round knockout, though hadn’t shown the same explosive power since moving up in weight until stopping Padraig McCrory in February in his most recent bout.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) continues to hold out hope for a battle with Alvarez.
‘That’d be a big fight,’ said Benavidez on July 15, adding that needs to take some time off for his hand to heal. ‘Now I´m at 175 these are some big boys, I´m looking forward to what´s next in the division. I still can make 168, I have a lot to prove.
‘If I can go down to 168, there are big fights at 168. I want the opportunity … if it´s Canelo or whoever, I want the opportunity to be a four-time world champion.’
Alvarez is coming off a ho-hum win, overcoming a somewhat slow start to dominate and hand Jaime Munguia (43-1) his first loss on May 5.
As the boxing world eagerly awaits the showdown between Alvarez and Berlanga, one thing is certain – it will be a spectacle to remember. Whether Alvarez will emerge victorious and retain his crown as the super-middleweight king, or if Berlanga will pull off a dramatic upset, remains to be seen.
