Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez lost his undisputed super-middleweight champion status last month. The Mexican star got stripped of his IBF 168-pound title for not fighting the number one contender, William Scull.
Canelo's journey to undisputed status at super-middleweight started in December 2020. He beat Callum Smith to grab the WBC and WBA belts. After a quick defense against Avni Yildrim, he added the WBO title in May 2021 by stopping Billy Joe Saunders. He completed the set in November 2021, knocking out Caleb Plant for the IBF strap.
Since then, Canelo's defended his undisputed crown against Gennady Golovkin, John Ryder, Jermell Charlo, and Jaime Munguia. But now, he's lost one of those belts.
The 34-year-old doesn't seem too bothered about losing his undisputed status. He told the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast:
"There are levels. There are stars and there are superstars. They make the championship, not the championship makes them. Who is William Scull? I never hear about him. I'm not gonna do whatever they want. I'm gonna do whatever I want. Because I deserve it, because of all I have done."
Canelo's next fight will be a WBA defense against Edgar Berlanga on September 14 in Las Vegas. This bout will reignite the classic Mexico-Puerto Rico fighting rivalry.
Some fans aren't happy with Canelo's matchmaking. They feel he's avoiding David Benavidez, the WBC's number one contender who many think deserves a shot the most. That fight seems even less likely now that Benavidez plans to move up to light-heavyweight.