JAKARTA - The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has ordered Canelo Alvarez to step into the ring against Osley Iglesias for the super middleweight world title vacated by recently retired Terence Crawford.
Canelo lost the title after suffering a defeat to Crawford who moved up to the super middleweight class to become the undisputed world champion last September.
The Mexican fighter is rumored to prioritize a sequel with Crawford and negotiations are reportedly underway. However, shortly thereafter Crawford decided to hang up his boxing gloves, which resulted in him losing all his titles in the super middleweight class.
Despite losing to Crawford, Canelo still has a good ranking in the division, especially in the IBF rankings he is in third place. That position is what made him asked to fight Osley, who is in first place.
Both fighters have been invited to officially enter negotiations. However, the fight seems unlikely to happen due to various factors, including the date of the return of the undisputed former king.
Canelo is known to have just undergone surgery on his elbow after losing to Crawford so it is likely that he will return this year at the earliest in May, but it could even coincide with his favorite date in September.
In addition, Canelo may also be looking for more lucrative opportunities as he enters the later stages of his career. He is expected to still be able to earn big paychecks for comeback appearances.
However, the former pound-for-pound best boxer in the world needs to consider his options because a rematch against Crawford is unlikely.
If he doesn't fight Osley, Canelo could choose to step into the ring against Hamzah Sheeraz. The British boxer has been ordered to fight Diego Pacheco for the WBO world title in 2026.
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