There is only so much Canelo Alvarez can do. Whom to fight and whom to ignore is a critical call when you are an undisputed champion. But the fans’ demands also need consideration. With him fighting Edgar Berlanga next, adding a new chapter to the Mexico-Puerto Rico boxing rivalry, the fight will be a tad bit less extravagant. Why? Because the IBF has done it, again. Stripping an undisputed champion.

As the Mexican champion gave his nod to facing Berlanga, the IBF moved swiftly to remove him from their list of champions for not fighting his mandatory, William Scull. Alvarez, 34, had previously applied for an optional defense for a September bout, but the sanctioning body eventually decided against it. This saga has ended with him losing his undisputed crown. As expected, this has split the boxing world in two over the call.

IBF not affected by star power: Removing Canelo Alvarez from the throne

While Scull is the IBF mandatory and boasts of an unblemished record of 22-0, he doesn’t move the needle. So, Alvarez’s camp decided to pick Berlanga instead, who is also the WBA mandatory and carries the reputation of a power puncher, capable of putting on a show for the fans. Interestingly, this is not the first time the Guadalajara native has been stripped of his IBF strap. It happened in 2019 too, when he failed to pen a deal with then-mandatory, Sergiy Derevyanchenko.

The writing was on the wall for Alvarez, at 61-2-2, as the IBF had recently also decided to dispose of Oleksandr Usyk as the heavyweight title. Is the IBF moving too harshly, or are they playing by the rules? That’s something the fans hotly debated when they turned to the comments section.

Fans want WBC to follow in the IBF’s route

One fan theorized that there was no demand or calls for Alvarez vs. Scull, and it might have been a snoozefest for them. Scull, 32, is a skilled technician, but no explosive fighter to attract eyeballs. So, they declared, “No one wants to see “William Scull” lmao.”

A user drew parallels between the IBF and WBC. While the WBC mandatory David Benavidez has been waiting for a shot at the champion for years now, Scull will fight for the championship next. They pointed out, “IBF is what wbc used to be. Benavidez should’ve went their route instead of believing in that wbc fraud Suliman.”

Someone believed Alvarez shouldn’t have been allowed to pick and choose, and instead fight his mandatory challengers. David Morrell and Benavidez had to be forced to venture at 175 because of the lack of a title shot. They announced, “Good it’s pathetic he gets to pick and choose he’s mandatory and when there called.”

A comment came to Alvarez’s defense and argued that stripping Alvarez for picking up the hardest puncher in the division didn’t make sense. The comment read, “Stripping Canelo for fighting the hardest puncher in the division over some unknown Cuban is crazy.”

However, another fan contested that fans needed to stop buying Alvarez PPVs. They claimed that Alvarez was cherry-picking and not respecting the division and the sports by not giving a shot at glory to his mandatory challengers. He has received flak for his choice of challengers, such as Jermell Charlo and Jaime Munguia. They wrote, “Whoever is buying Canelo PPV’s need to stop. He’s disrespecting the sport at this point. Has not had a meaningful fight in 3 years.”

Lastly, someone urged the WBC to do the same and enforce the rules. The WBC’s flexible rules have caused agony among fans and fighters for their relaxed stance over mandatory challenges. Jermall Charlo was the WBC champion for 3 years, without defending it once. They commented, “Something the WBC needs too do.”

It remains to be seen whether the WBC and other sanctioning bodies will follow the IBF’s route. However, for now, Alvarez is set to defend his unified belts at 168 against Berlanga in September. What do you make of this call by the IBF? Do you agree with it? Let us know in the comments below.