IBF Statement: In lieu of the recent announcement made regarding the upcoming bout between Saul Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga, the IBF seeks to clarify the status of the IBF super middleweight title and how the organization reaches decisions in situations such as this based on its rules.
Saul Alvarez became the undisputed super middleweight champion on November 6, 2021, in a TKO victory over then IBF champion Caleb Plant. At the time of this bout, Saul Alvarez held the WBA, WBC, and WBO titles. In circumstances where there is an undisputed champion, the IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO have agreed on a “rotation system” to determine the order of mandatory defenses. The mandatory defense of the IBF super middleweight title is now due based on this agreement.
The IBF ordered Saul Alvarez to begin negotiations with #1 ranked super middleweight contender Willam Scull for a mandatory defense of the IBF super middleweight title on May 13, 2024. Negotiations were to be concluded by June 8, 2024. On May 22, 2024, the IBF received an email from Hagen Doering, on behalf of William Scull, requesting an immediate purse bid. The IBF sent notification on May 27, 2024, that a purse bid would be held on June 6, 2024. Subsequently, on June 4, 2024, the IBF received an email from Hagen Doering requesting a postponement of the June 6, 2024, purse bid. Shortly thereafter Eddie Reynoso, on behalf of Saul Alvarez, agreed in writing to postpone the said purse bid.
On June 18, 2024, the IBF received emails from both parties indicating that an agreement had been reached. Accordingly, the IBF sent notification that the purse bid rescheduled for June 18, 2024, had been cancelled. However, the terms of the “agreement” were not disclosed to the IBF.
Tom Brown, on behalf of Saul Alvarez, sent a letter to the IBF on July 5, 2024, requesting an exception to participate in an optional defense of the Super Middleweight title on September 14, 2024, against a fighter to be determined.
On July 19, 2024, the IBF Board of Directors met via video conference to discuss this matter. A majority of the directors determined that the request should not be considered pursuant to Rule 11.A.
IBF Rule 11.A. states in part:
“Once the IBF has sent out the notice of the date of the purse bid, or once a contract has been signed for a mandatory bout, no request for an exception can be made.”
On July 25, 2024, the IBF was advised that Saul Alvarez was going to participate in an optional bout against #4 ranked Super Middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga on September 14, 2024.
IBF Rule 5.B.2. states in part:
“All optional defenses, and any and all other bouts, by a Champion shall be concluded at least sixty (60) days prior to the date the Champion’s mandatory is due and shall be subject to the approval of the Championships Chairman and the President.”
Saul Alvarez’s mandatory defense of the IBF Super Middleweight title is overdue. Therefore, the bout scheduled for September 14, 2024, is not in compliance with the noted rule.
The IBF places the upmost importance on keeping a title occupied, and furthermore values and understands the significance of the undisputed champion status for a fighter such as Saul Alvarez, the sport and the fans. We understand that Saul Alvarez and his team made a choice to pursue the route they see fit for his career in the bout against Edgar Berlanga. Nevertheless, the IBF rules are clear and were designed to serve all affected parties in a matter such as this. Based on the foregoing, the IBF was left with no other recourse than to vacate the IBF super middleweight. Saul Alvarez has had an exceptional career, and we sincerely wish him the best in his future endeavors.
Boxing made Canelo Alvarez both famous and wealthy. Instead of making the fight that all boxing fans desire (and that the sport that made him needs) he wimps out and goes with Berlanga. EMBARRASSING.
You do understand Berlanga is a Mandatory>?
That’s the second time they’ve stripped him in his career. Out of all the alphabet orgs., the IBF will stick to their rules the most. You just wish they didn’t have such odd rankings: WHAT ON EARTH HAS WILLIAMS SCULL DONE TO BE RANKED #1 BY ANYONE??
I’ve never seen Scull fight, but the Cuban probably had a great amateur career!
He soundly beat then undefeated and highly ranked (by the IBF)
Evgeny Shvedenko, in an eliminator and he basically took the top spot then.
Canelo was stripped of the IBF title in the past for failing to fight Sergiy Derevyanchenko. But I can say without a doubt Canelo would have won that fight and he went on to have better fights in that regard. This actually helps Canelo as it could be a tactic for him to pursue 2-time Undisputed once a new champion is made.
IBF is inconsistent but good on them in stripping Canelo. He’s bogarting the belts and not fighting all of his mandatories (Benavidez). Let the titles go if you’re going to pick and choose. Just hold the WBC title because its well known they back Canelo and let the other belts go.
Benavidez just became his WBC mandatory this past march 2024 and had no intentions on fighting Canelo when he requested to fight for the opportunity to become Mandatory at 175 before his mandatory status at 168 became effective. David then was given “two” 2-week extensions to activate his mandatory status against Canelo and he refused and was stripped of his mandatory status because he intends to stay at 175. So to say Canelo was scared to fight Benavidez is false because when Benavidez refused to activate it moved the rotation to the IBF and William Scull. It’s okay that the IBF stripped Canelo it gives him an opportunity to regain it later lol.
Bro, you must be a casual boxing fan or a true Canelo fan. David has been Canelo’s Mando for 2 yrs!!! He’s been calling him out & Canelo’s been running like a chicken. Do your research before commenting!!
Don’t confused champion belts with award belts
Canelo is bigger than all the organizations and dosen’t really need all their “titles.”
wbc and wbo should take notice and do the same as the ibf. the wba ,with this berlanga -canelo fight , is a fraud .The wbc and canelo are shameful and do not represent mexican boxing. Its time to clean up boxing .
Alvarez has never been a fighter in the historical sense of the word. He’s a side show ticket seller that is there for the benefit of boxing on a global scale. The picking and choosing, the blatant avoidance of serious fights when those fighters were still a threat, the lack of testing when the physical changes are abundantly clear, and astronomical contracts that end up fruitless, all point to Alvarez being a side show, hence the diva behavior.
The public is to blame as usual. As soon as we speak our minds and express our wants with our dollars, we will see much needed changes.
If he’s not been a fighter of historical sense then why is he already a first ballot HOF? Canelo is one of the best fighters of this generation. He beat many great fighters and fought elite fighters. From Floyd Mayweather, Miguell Cotto, Shane Mosley, Danial Jacobs, Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout, Sergei Kovalev, Dmitry Bivol, Jaime Munguia, Jermell Charlo, Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith. The man has a HOF resume. That makes him elite. And his run for undisputed was historical as he earned it faster than anyone in history in just 11 months against prime undefeated champions and fought a mandatory in that span.
Fought an old Mosley. Gifted Lara decision. Avoided Golovkin like the plague until Golovkin got old. Gifted draw with GGG. Gifted decision against GGG in the second fight, under suspicion of being dirty for both fights. Jumped around divisions without making a stand anywhere until the last 3 years out of a 20 year career. Fought a shot Kovalev. The ONLY times he fought against A level fighters, he lost. Bivol, lost. Lara, lost. Mayweather, lost. Again, GGG, lost twice. The rest has been carefully selected fights.
Does he bring in the money, hell yeah. Does he put butts in seats, hell yeah. He beat plant, saunders and the Munguia. That’s your hall of fame resume?
No fan of the man, but if you look at boxing today, and the active boxers I would have to put him in the top 4 of any boxers who should be in the IBHOF. The other three are Usyk, Crawford and Inoe. I feel when you are a undisputed champ though, you should be fighting the number one contender of any of the 4 organizations. He has not done that since fighting the British boxer who was number one in the WBO. I also though blame some of these organizations, as they could have what I call unification matches for number one contender.
Unfortunately he is such a big star, and I think mostly among Mexican fight fans that seems impossible for that too happen. Most Americans I doubt would recognize him if he walked into their store or where ever. But that is the case perhaps for many boxers today in the United States.
blah, blah blah no good fight…
Sissy Canelo ducking David Benavidez lol
IBF= International Bullshit Federation
They’re better than the other organizations. out of the four the IBF is probably the best, followed by the WBO. Those two are close to even.
The WBC and WBA are tied for 10th out of 4.
Agreed. After Lee was removed, the IBF did make significant improvements as did the WBO. However, not enough for us to stick our neck out for. I do agree with their circular defense schedule.
the IBF is trash dont forget they stripped Crawford just months after he became undisputed its time to disregard that alphabet belt and replace it with the IBO who has been around long enough and has many legit big name champions or better yet get rid of all of them
I would keep the IBF and replace the WBA and WBC with IBO and WBU belts!
Because we still need all these belts?
The IBF lost my respect way back in 2004 when they stripped the undisputed champion Winky Wright of his IBF title. They have a long history of stripping legit champions of that belt because they won’t fight an unknown fighter and then have that unknown fighter and another unknown fighter fight for that vacant belt.
That’s kind of a positive though. Enforcing mandatories is the only way some of those fighter ever get their title shot. Where as the WBC will let a “champion” hold their for 2 or 3 years never facing the mandatory. Sometimes they won’t even DECLARE a mandatory just to keep the money champion with the belt. How long has Benevidez been the #1 contender? I’m not sure they made him the mando yet. They did the same thing to Dillian Whyte 2 years and several eliminators, even gave him a silver and then an interim belt before they FINALLLY declared the mando.
wbc, wba, wbo, ibf ,- no honor among thieves.
most canelo “fights” are fraudulent .
Canelo “Always spar with a face saver”
Alvarez. Tainted meat.
Canelo will fight Berlanga, then Scull, then some mma fighter to finish it out, maybe not the mma fighter, what fighter would do that.
Naw, he’ll probably end up fighting an undersized Bud Crawford, who is great but has no business fighting at 168.
I wish these guys fought for one belt and that was the ring magazine belt which to me has the most fair rankings, usually.
Back in the day when champions fought 3 or 4 times a year, ( money was a big reason, much smaller purse ) now they make millions a fight so a bout every 9- 10 is good. I think when a fighter wins all the belts in one fight he can pick the belt he wants to keep along with ring belt to show he’s no. 1 and paid better cause of it so all the titles aren’t held hostage like they are now which would mean fighters that would not have to wait in line for 1, 2 years.
Used to be like that way back when boxing was a major sport. Ring Magazine came out every month with fair top ten rankings in all eight divisions.
Canelo can regain his upcoming stripped title against whoever wins it! Berlanga is going to get one hell of a career ending beating. This fight will be more brutal than canelo vs kirklan fight!
When billy joe Saunders lost to canelo i said you will never see him again because of his lack of ” berlanga is the same, fights what, once a year and beat who?.
Why don’t all sanctioning bodies strip him? Sad & pathetic!!!
If Canelo is half as good as some think, let David Morell vs Benavidez fight for IBF Belt and we’ll see if Canelo goes after it. I bet he won’t even think about it. Then that would show his fans just how good he is. Then strip him of the other belts and let the top fighter fight for them. Just think if Saunders and Plant held on those belt and didn’t give Canelo a shot where would he be now?
Great job, IBF, for fracturing the undisputed championship in yet another weight division this year. IBF=International Boxing F-ckers. You guys suck.
They have an agreement under undisputed rules. They’re supposed to defend in the order of belts won. The IBF has next and Canelo tried to circumvent the agreement over money, which he’s entitled to, but the IBF is also entitled to strip Alvarez for his decisions.
exactly he won the WBA then WBC then WBO then the piece of shit IBF so they violated the agreement their trash bring on the IBO or trash them all
Good decision… how can Canelo possibly call himself a champion if he refuses to take on the legendary William Scull.
hopefully the real fans will boycott this canelo/ berlanga “fight ” . Anyway , It will be the usual “cant hit the boss $cript”.
Are there not reasonable exceptions to this rule?
It’s about time. The guy cherry-picks his fights with the best of em