Canelo Likely To Vacate His IBF Belt – ‘Now Pick Benavidez Or Crawford’
Canelo Alvarez will likely vacate his IBF Super Middleweight Title rather than face his mandatory William Scull.
The IBF ordered purse bids for the fight for June 6, leaving Canelo with a decision to make. If he does not defend against Scull, he will have to vacate or be stripped. This means he will no longer be undisputed at 168. Alvarez has already come under fire for the level of opposition he is facing. Despite beating Jaime Munguia in his last fight, there has been a bigger appetite to see him fight David Benavidez.
The Mexican Monster has been his WBC mandatory for over two years. But Benavidez has moved from 168 to 175 to box Oleksandr Gvozdyk. That means Canelo must face a big challenge to avoid backlash from fans. Outside of Benavidez, there is the possibility of a Dmitry Bivol rematch or a fight with Terence Crawford. That means Canelo is likely to give up the IBF belt.
Canelo To Vacate
“According to multiple boxing sources who spoke to BoxingScene Tuesday, Alvarez intends to relinquish his IBF belt rather than participate in an ordered June 6 purse bid at IBF offices in New Jersey for a fight against that sanctioning body’s mandatory contender, little-known William Scull of Cuba,” Lance Pugmire (BoxingScene)
This has various implications moving forward. Any fight with Benavidez or Crawford would not be undisputed. That means Alvarez cannot demand a bigger payday than what he would have otherwise gotten. It also means that Benavidez and Crawford may not want to box Canelo. Benavidez’s fight with Gvozdyk is for the WBC Interim Light Heavyweight Belt.
That means a win puts him in a position to face Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol. The latter two will box for undisputed at 175 once Bivol returns from injury. Crawford is also beginning his quest for undisputed at 154. He faces Israil Madrimov on August 3 for the latter’s WBA belt.
Crawford could also fight for the WBO belt in that bout. It will likely become vacant, with Sebastian Fundora expected to fight Errol Spence Jr. next. Alvarez must make his decision soon, with June around the corner. Under the IBF rules, Scull will face the second-ranked contender Vladimir Shishkin for the vacant title if Canelo pulls out of the purse bids.
IBF Rules
“The Championships Chairman will notify the Champion and the mandatory challenger approximately sixty (60) days prior to the mandatory due date and the boxers must observe that obligation. The Champion shall negotiate with the leading available contender as designated by the Championships Chairman and the President.
“If they are unable to negotiate the terms of the bout within thirty (30) days, they have the obligation to proceed to a purse bid under the procedure set forth in Rule 9. (a) The Champion and the mandatory Challenger may not box any other contestant within 60 days of the mandatory due date.
“(b) A Champion’s failure to comply with this obligation will be sufficient cause to have the Championships Committee and Board of Directors consider withdrawing recognition of the title. (c) The Challenger’s failure to comply with this rule will result in the Championships Committee recognizing the next leading available contender as the mandatory challenger and moving the challenger to a position below #10 in the rankings for at least six (6) months,” IBF Rule 5c
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