A new development means Canelo Alvarez is even more likely to challenge for a world title in his next outing.
Canelo was last in action in September when he lost his undisputed super-middleweight crown to Terence Crawford at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The Mexican superstar had hoped to secure a rematch with Crawford, but instead ‘Bud’ announced his retirement, resulting in the world title belts becoming vacant.
One of those titles is now in the possession of Christian Mbilli, who became WBC super-middleweight champion after he was elevated from interim status, and the 30-year-old has since made his intentions of sharing the ring with Canelo perfectly clear.
Mbilli’s trainer Marc Ramsay had told Boxing News this week that they were waiting on a decision from the WBC on whether they may need to face newly-crowned interim champion Lester Martinez before a potential Canelo bout, but a verdict has now been reached.
In their new divisional updates, the WBC revealed that Martinez will have to face two opponents in order to keep his belt and eventually earn a shot at the full title, paving the way for Canelo to head straight into a clash with Mbilli.
“Lester Martinez defeated Immanuwel Aleem on March 21 in San Bernardino, California, to capture the Interim Title. Martinez is now obligated to fulfill two mandatory defenses.
“Luka Plantic to fight an elimination bout. Jacob Bank vs. Paulinus Ndjolomino – eliminator – April 25 in Denmark.”
Canelo’s return is planned for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in September, so all signs now point towards his next bout being a fight with Mbilli for the WBC super-middleweight title.
