NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 15: Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez arrives at a press conference to preview their September 30 undisputed super middleweight title fight with Jermell Charlo at the Palladium Times Square on August 15, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has a few more days than expected to find his next move.
A ring confirmed that another delay has been met with a planned fund bid for Alvarez’s title defense against William Scull. The hearing scheduled for June 13 was canceled on Wednesday, with the notification of a new date.
“The Saul Alvarez vs. William Scull fundraiser has been rescheduled for Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 12:00PM EST,” an IBF spokesperson informed all registered promoters via email.
War was ordered on May 13 but the negotiation period was suspended after just nine days. The promoter of AGON Sports & Events—Scull—informed the IBF of the failed negotiations between the camps and immediately asked for the purse. IBF rules state that either team can claim the fund at any time during the negotiations.
The decision to go directly to court is often used when reaching an agreement that cannot be reached. Usually, a delay is granted when both parties believe that later an agreement can be reached. There are other times, when an A-side like Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 knockouts), the 168-year-old Ring Champion, simply flexes the muscle of a celebrity.
Either way, he remains responsible for respecting the mandatory title protection.
The IBF rules state that no party can enter another fight once the fight has been called by the refereeing body. Contestants who do not want to advance are released under 10 and cannot participate in IBF-sanctioned fights for at least six months.
The punishment is very severe in protecting the list of qualifications.
IBF Rule 5.c requires its champions to honor mandatory title fights. Failure to comply with this order “shall be sufficient reason for the Tournament Committee and Board of Directors to consider revoking recognition of the title.”
Alvarez has yet to make a mandatory defense of the WBA or IBF titles. He was actually a force to be reckoned with as the WBA’s second title holder when he faced and defeated Callum Smith in their December 2020 WBA title unification bout.
One month later, Caleb Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) honored his mandatory IBF title by defeating Jan. 2021 defeating Caleb Truax.
Alvarez defeated Plant by an eleventh-round knockout in their November Undisputed bout. 2021 in Las Vegas.
Brooklyn’s Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) has been named the WBA’s mandatory challenger for April. The Nuyorican is believed to be next in line for the 168-pound crown. Those rumors intensified after Alvarez’s May 4 victory over Jaime Munguia at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The actions taken by the IBF—and the lack of any movement from the WBA—settled that rotation question.
Alvarez made the most successful defense of any undisputed male champion in four (four) belt eras. That success came largely from sanctioning bodies that often don’t apply their rules as much as they do to their other champions.
Scull (22-0, 9 KOs) became the mandatory challenger after a July 2022 points win over Evgeny Shvedenko. The title decider between the undefeated competitors saw Scull—a Berlin-based Cuban exporter—win by unanimous decision.
This 31-year-old player has only three fights. The latest was an eight-round submission victory over Sean Hemphill on May 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight took place in the untelevised basement of Alvarez-Munguia.
According to IBF Rule 10.E, the winning bid will be split 65-35 in favor of Alvarez as the title defender.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
