Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez will no longer be named undisputed champion, as according to reports he will be stripped of his International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight title prior to his next fight coming up in September.
The fight scheduled for the 14th, right before the traditional Mexican Independence Day festivities, date where he normally schedules an important encounter, will be against Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas.
According to multiple reports, ‘Canelo’ was automatically stripped of the title as his mandatory defense against William Scull, the IBF’s No. 1 contender, was overdue. Scull will now face off against No. 2 contender Vladimir Shiskin for the vacant title.
“Once we officially notify the involved parties we will issue a statement,” IBF president Daryl Peoples told reporters.
The Mexican has other things on his mind
Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez will face Edgar Berlanga however the IBF super middleweight title will no longer be on the line. But since he still has plenty more titles to defend, as the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) belts will be at stake.
Berlanga is coming off a February win over Padraig McCrory that kept him unbeaten with a 22-0 record. The 27-year-old started his career with 16 straight first-round knockouts, although his next five opponents lasted the distance.
‘Canelo’ is coming fresh of a solid victory on a unanimous decision over Jaime Munguía on May 4 to improve his record to 61-2-2 with 39 knockouts. The main idea is that once he face Berlanga and if he retains all of his championships, he will face the winner of the William Scull versus Vladimir Shiskin fight to try and recover his IBF super middleweight title.