For agreeing to fight Berlanga.... “Saul Alvarez’s mandatory defense of the IBF super-middleweight title is overdue,” read a statement from the IBF. “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. 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 title.” Thoughts?
The sanctioning orgs need to create a way to have unified/undisputed contenders for the unified/undisputed champions
Agreed. Usyk and Crawfords IBF belts were still warm when they were stripped and handed off to E-mail champs. The least the IBF should do is hold a bout for the vacant title.
The IBF seems to make it really tough on guys to maintain their undisputed status. The problem is these guys are often fighting just twice a year, but they now have 4 mandatories from all different orgs to deal with. Then you throw in rematch clauses and the fact that the mandatory opponent for a given org isn’t always the fight people want to see, and it becomes very difficult to manage it. The WBA, WBC, and WBO seem to let their rules slide most of the time but the IBF does seem to stick a lot closer to their rules and doesn’t mind being the first to strip an undisputed champ. I guess you can give the IBF some credit for sticking to their rules more than the other alphabet organizations, but overall, I don’t like it. It makes the new IBF belt holder seem like a fraud. For example, you’ll have Dubois and AJ fighting for it at heavyweight…two guys that Usyk has beaten recently (and twice in AJ’s case). So now if he wants to become undisputed again, he has to rematch one of these guys he just fought to win back the IBF belt. It’s dumb; it’s just a bad system they have in place.
Do you believe doing away with automatic rematch clauses could be a good start? Seems to me if the fight wasn't close, and one man lost convincingly, that an automatic rematch due to A-side politics isn't in the best interests of anyone but the man who lost. If we removed these, it might free up an undisputed champion for one or more mandatory defenses. @Serge @Rumsfeld I always appreciate your thoughts as well.
Who determines whats a clear win? Itbcould be a bs robbery on the cards and now the guy gets to duck the other guy. There just needs to be more leeway at first undisputed + rematch. After that the belts go into rotation and the champ has to defend them in x amount of time.
Perhaps having so many belts is a problem then... Four belts. One mandatory a year. Champions would have to fight every three months. Three belts. One mandatory a year. Champions would have to fight every four months. Two belts. One mandatory a year. Champions would have to fight twice a year. Now, you defend one mandatory twice (rematch) and a year is gone. The manadtory at the end of the line would be waiting three years. What would your solution be other than "more leeway" where due to rematches a mandatory sits waiting for two or three plus years? Also: Define "more leeway"
You know that old cliche about boxing is dead? I am beginning to think that maybe boxing IS dead. It certainly is resembling less and less the sport I knew in the 70s 80s and 90s. Many of the reasons have been stated in previous posts, from preemptive rematch clauses to ridiculously biased scorecards and everything else. I think maybe around when Tyson's career died in the late 90s, is when it started to happen. I think he took boxing with him to the Grave.
Agreed. Beterbiev, if he's the Beterbiev of old or close enough, folds him in half. Bivol jabs his head clean off.
iBF, WBO, WBA, WBC all come together and have a mini tourney between their #1 contenders, champion is obligated to fight the winner within some specified timeframe. If he refuses yes stripped of all titles.