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.

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.

Canelo Alvarez is truly king in the ring. The super middleweight champion towered over Jaime Munguia in their much-anticipated fight on Saturday (May 4), and he scored a unanimous win. So, who are the best boxers in the world right now, pound-for-pound?

Before we get to the best boxers in the world right now, let's look closer at Alvarez and his win. Now that he's consistently pulled off definitive wins, the public wants to see him fight David Benavidez, "The Mexican Monster," who caught everyone's attention after beating both Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade.

After the May 4 fight, Alvarez was asked about fighting Benavidez, who has been talking smack about him, as they say. "If the money's right ... I can fight [Benavidez] right now," Alvarez said in a post-fight press conference. "I don't give a s---. It's only a matter of money at this point. Everybody is asking for everything. When I fought [Erislandy] Lara, Austin Trout, Miguel Angel Cotto, [Floyd] Mayweather, Billy Joe Saunders, GGG, everybody said I don't want to fight them, and I fought all of them. So right now ... I can do whatever I want."

It's true that Alvarez can do whatever he wants, as he's very successful. But, is he really the best if he won't fight the one guy that everyone wants him to fight? Hey, I can't contest Alvarez's record and legacy. But, give the people what they want, Alvarez. Everyone would love to see some of the best boxers in the world duke it out.

Benavidez wants the fight with Alvarez. He wants it badly. He was there Saturday, promoting his June 15 Las Vegas fight vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk. "The fans now are getting upset because this is the biggest fight on the table," Benavidez told ESPN during a news conference. "And why are we going to leave it on the table for no reason? This is a fight that has to happen. ... And I'm going to keep putting these types of performances on where people are going to want to see it. The demand of this fight is really high. It's bad blood. I don't like him. He doesn't like me."

So, we all want to see the fight. If it happens, it will draw a lot of money and interest. For now, lots of interest rests on Benavidez's upcoming fight against Gvozdyk. He's moving up to light heavyweight for the fight. I'm such a fan of boxing, since it's so classic and old-fashioned. My dad was actually a boxer in Detroit when he was in high school, and I've always loved the sport. Now, let's get into some of the best boxers in the world right now, pound-for-pound. Reach out to me with your thoughts, too.

Dmitry Bivol is the current light heavyweight champion. The Russian currently lives in California and has been in the spotlight for years, but especially took the limelight when he beat Canelo Alvarez in 2022 in a controversial fight. He's super fun to watch in the ring.

Canelo Alvarez just upped his game with another win, as he took down Jaime Munguia in the two's much-anticipated fight on Saturday (May 4). I want to see him fight David Benavidez. Make it happen, guys and agents.

Oleksandr Usyk has held the the unified heavyweight titles since 2021. The Ukrainian professional boxer is one of the best Ukrainian boxers and cruiserweights of all time. He has a May 18, 2024, fight against Tyson Fury. He also takes on David Benavidez June 15, 2024, in Las Vegas.

Naoya Inoue is such a versatile boxer. The Japanese boxer is actually only the second male boxer, behind Terence Crawford, to be the undisputed champion in two weight classes in the four-belt era. He has also won multiple world championships in four weight classes.

It shouldn't be a surprise that Terence Crawford is ranked No. 1 on this list. He has won multiple world championships in three weight classes and multiple World Boxing titles. On Aug. 3, 2024, he'll go up against Israil Madrimov.

He's not one of my top five, but David Benavidez absolutely deserves a mention. He's more than proven himself after beating both Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade. He talks a lot of smack, too, which fans love. Let's see if he finally gets his fight with Canelo Alvarez.