By: Hans Themistode
The search for an opponent for four division world champion Canelo Alvarez is over. At least, according to the WBC.
The sanctioning body, led by president Mauricio Sulaiman, is on the verge of ordering a contest between the aforementioned Alvarez and their number one super middleweight contender Avni Yildirim.
The unexpected insertion of Alvarez into the green championship mix stems from former titlist David Benavidez and his failure to make weight for his supposed title defense against Alexis Angulo this past weekend. The one time belt holder stepped onto the scales over two pounds overweight and was subsequently stripped of his title.
The loss of his title did little to affect his performance as he went on to brutally stop Angulo in the tenth round. The win may have added to his undefeated record, but it also left the WBC title vacant. Now however, following some recent discussion, both Alvarez and Yildirim will get the first crack at gold.
“The WBC Board of Governors has voted 36-1 to order Alvarez, the multi division world champion who holds The WBC Franchise designation to fight against the WBC’s mandatory contender of the division, Avni Yildirim.” Said Mauricio Sulaiman in a recent statement. “More details will be available in days to come.”
While Benavidez may hold an undefeated record inside of the ring, that hasn’t stopped him from taking multiple losses outside of it.
Following a win over Ronald Gavril in 2018, Benavidez was suspended due to a positive test result for cocaine. With his suspension served and a new outlook on how he should be living his life, Benavidez looked the same in the ring, which was as dominant as ever, but vowed to be even more disciplined. Despite those words, as previously mentioned, the former champion found himself several pounds overweight.
The moment Benavidez ‘title became available, the sanctioning body found themselves flooded with requests to fight for the vacant crown. Amongst those requests was Alvarez.
Now, it appears that the sanctioning body will acquiesce to his plea.
While nothing is set in stone just yet, it appears that this could be the route that all parties head towards. Yildirim has made numerous statements in the past regarding a title fight with then champion Benavidez, and now finds himself possibly facing an even bigger name. As for Alvarez, with no opponent on his docket due to the worldwide pandemic, he could take on the Turkish born Yildirim in what would be viewed as little risk but high reward.