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Canelo Alvarez-William Scull: IBF plans to make bid for mandatory title fight on June 6

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William Scull did everything in his power to speed up the process for his first career title fight.

confirmed that a bid for the mandatory defense of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s IBF title against Scull is scheduled for June 6. The fight was ordered on May 13, but the negotiation period was interrupted after just nine days.

According to an official letter obtained by , AGON Sports & Events – Scull’s promoter – informed the IBF about the failed talks between the camps. An immediate hearing was therefore requested on behalf of the undefeated challenger. IBF rules state that either party may request a price offer at any time during the negotiations.

Per IBF Rule 10.E, the winning bid will be split 65-35 in favor of Alvarez as defending champion.

The only question is whether the fight will actually continue – for various reasons.

Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 knockouts), a ring champion at 168, has not yet made a mandatory defense of his WBA or IBF titles. In fact, he was mandatory as the second WBA title holder when he faced and defeated Callum Smith in their WBA title consolidation fight in December 2020.

A month later, Caleb Plant (22-2, 13 KO) honored his mandatory IBF title defense with a victory over Caleb Truax in January 2021.

Alvarez defeated Plant by eleventh-round knockout in an uncontested bout in Las Vegas in November 2021.

Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KO) from Brooklyn became the mandatory challenger for the WBA title in April. It was believed that the Nuyorican would be next in line for the 168-pound crown. These rumors intensified after Alvarez’s victory over Jaime Munguia on May 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

This will be an argument for the WBA and IBF to solve.

One issue to consider is whether a secondary title defense meets the requirements for a mandatory WBA title. One took place in November 2022, when David Morrell defended his WBA “Regular” title after a twelfth-round stoppage against Aidos Yerbossynuly (16-1, 11 KO).

This may impact the rotation system in place for harmonized title lists. If so, the IBF will be next in line, which will leave the purse determination hearing intact.

Morrell (No. 4, 168 pounds) will next face Radivoje Kalajdzic for the interim WBA 175-pound title on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles. As a result, Berlanga has since been named WBA mandatory.

The call came about two months after the sixth-round knockout of undefeated Padraig McCrory on February 24 in Orlando, Florida. The fight would then determine the next booked challenger to Morrell’s secondary title.

A ruling in favor of the IBF would present Alvarez with an fascinating choice regarding his unified reign. He made the most successful defenses of any undisputed male champion in the four-belt era (four). This feat was largely due to sanctioning authorities who generally failed to enforce their rules as is the case with other proponents.

Scull (22-0, 9 KO) became the mandatory challenger after a points victory over Yevgeny Swedenko in July 2022. In a title eliminator between undefeated contenders, Scull – a Cuban export based in Berlin – won a lopsided unanimous decision.

The 31-year-old has only fought three fights. The last one took place on May 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas after an eight-round victory over Sean Hemphill. The fight took place on the non-televised portion of Alvarez-Munguia.

Also on hand was Berlanga, the 10th super middleweight contender who was on the compact list of opponents for the May clash with Alvarez. His name entered the competition along with Munguia, who ultimately won the lottery.

Berlanga could still take the position – regardless of whether he is another must-see fighter in the rotation or without an IBF belt.

Alvarez can still fight the next opponent of his choice. The consequence would be to strip him of his IBF title in the absence of a ruling favoring the WBA.

IBF Rule 5.c requires its champions to honor ordered mandatory title fights. Failure to comply with the order “will be sufficient cause for the Championship Committee and the Board to consider withdrawing recognition of the title.”

This is familiar territory for Alvarez, whose recent experience with an IBF mandatory changed the course of his career.

An ordered defense of the middleweight title against Sergiy Derevyanchenko ended with Alvarez being stripped of the belt in 2019. The handling of the matter soured a decade-long relationship between Alvarez and Golden Boy Promotions; the two separated in 2020.

Alvarez defeated Daniel Jacobs in a RING, WBC, WBA and IBF unification fight in May 2019. The order for another defense against Derevyanchenko immediately followed. The case dragged on until this summer, when the IBF announced the title was vacant.

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De La Hoya calls Devin Haney devastated

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Image: De La Hoya Sees Devin Haney As Washed Up

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya doubts whether the rematch between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney will take place in 2025. Oscar thinks Haney is tired after his loss to Ryan last April. Haney was beaten in this fight and it is doubtful whether he will be able to recover from the defeat. De La Hoya doesn’t think so.

If Haney is cleared, it remains to be seen when, or even if, he will return to the ring to fight someone. Ideally, he would need to undergo an attunement to ensure his abilities are still intact. It would be a mistake for Haney to fight one of the top welterweights coming off a loss to Ryan.

Interestingly, Haney doesn’t know what division he plans to fight in next, but given his enormous size, he should consider competing at welterweight. The problems he had with Ryan’s power shots last April may have had something to do with the enormous amount of water he had to lose to reach the 140-pound limit.

Haney’s life might have been easier had he competed at 147 pounds because he wouldn’t have had to cut so much weight. He would still have to lose a ton of water from the 160s, but it wouldn’t be as huge an ordeal. For athletes competing in divisions much smaller than their natural size, eventually their body can no longer handle the enormous change in weight.

Of course, Haney’s decision to sue Ryan has a lot to do with De La Hoya’s doubts about a second fight. Moreover, Haney (31-0, 15 KO) has shown little interest in returning to the ring to rebuild from a 12-round decision loss to Garcia.

Former two-division world champion Haney recently passed up an opportunity to fight Sandor Martin, which netted him a nice reward in a winning fight. When he decided not to fight Sandor, it was a red flag in the eyes of fans, and the loss to Kingry still haunts him. For a proud player like Haney, who had everything going his way throughout his career, this was mentally hard to deal with.

Ryan recently said he has no interest in fighting Haney again, but he may change his mind in 2025 if he is offered enough money. If this is the highest paying fight for Ryan, he will not miss the opportunity.

The only other fight that would be more profitable would be a rematch with Gervonta Davis, but that’s doubtful. Tank is too busy taking the straightforward option and won’t want to fight Ryan at full strength at 140+ again.

“We have to deal with this frivolous lawsuit they threw at us, but it’s all just noise,” Oscar De La Hoya told reporters media regarding Devin Haney’s decision to sue Ryan Garcia and Golden Boy. “That’s all. How can you sue someone who beat you? It just doesn’t make sense.

“What I would do is throw that guy out, go back in the ring and kick his ass.”

“I don’t think so because I think Devin Haney is a shooting guy,” De La Hoya said when asked if there would be a rematch between Garcia and Haney.

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Liam Davies ready to fight Queensberry ‘Menace’

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LIAM DAVIES may be chasing a world title shot, but the appeal of one particular massive domestic fight remains unchanged.

The undefeated 28-year-old returns to the ring on November 2 against Shabaz Masoud, four months after the original date, which was postponed due to Davies’ injury.

Davies is currently in the top five of the IBF and WBC rankings, but all four world titles belong to Japanese phenom Naoya Inoue. A fight with Inoue is at the top of Davies’ wish list, but he is well aware that he would start from a weaker position. Closer to home, a major domestic super bantamweight fight against Queensberry stablemate Dennis “The Menace” McCann could take place in 2025.

When asked if he thought he was beyond fighting the European champion, Davies replied: “No, I still think that fight could happen.”

Davies then changed his stance and asked a question. – Will you tune in? The answer was yes.

“That’s what it’s all about,” Davies added. “It’s about people getting interested and tuning in. I see it as a massive, massive fight. I hope this will happen in the long run.

“If they ask me, I will be ready. I never ask who, just when and that’s all I need to know. Dennis is doing his thing and I wish him all the best. I hope we meet someday, but I’m not sure when that will be. If it ever comes down to it, I’ll be ready.”


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Kenneth Sims is chasing activity and a victory over Oscar Duarte

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Junior welterweight contender Kenneth Sims Jr. has struggled with inactivity in recent years, but 2024 is shaping up to be a turning point for the Chicago native.

Sims will step into the ring again on November 16, fighting Oscar Duarte as part of the season’s “Latino Night” in Riyad at The Venue in Saudi Arabia.

After declaring himself a grave contender and winning a majority vote over Elvis Rodriguez in 2021, Sims (21-2-1, 8 KO) found himself on the regional fight circuit, struggling to stay energetic. Sims had four fights between 2021 and 2023, including a potential fight of the year with Botirzhon Akhmedov, which aired on Showtime. This year, Sims, 30, who now trains in Las Vegas, signed with Golden Boy Promotions and made his promotional debut in August, stopping Jonathan Romero in five rounds.

His opponent, Mexican Duarte (27-2-1, 22 KO), may have been stopped by Ryan Garcia in December 2023, but under the guidance of trainer Robert Garcia, he rebounded by knocking out Joseph Diaz Jr. 2024. Duarte, 28, is a mighty boxer and Sims is known for his deft boxing skills, making for an intriguing clash of styles.

This fight is a key opportunity for Sims to stay energetic and perform at their best.

“I’m just excited to be back [in the ring]Sims said. “It’s been a long time, and these are two fights back to back – that’s when I’m in the best shape and energetic. I just appreciate that Golden Boy keeps me busy and I’m ready to put on an amazing performance.

Sims is well aware of Duarte’s challenge, but is confident in his preparation and mindset. Sims also knows that a win could put him in a title berth at the top of the division

“Oscar Duarte is a tough opponent, so I have to give my all, which is what I intend to do every time I step into the ring. “I’m training like it’s the last fight I’ll ever fight, so I plan on putting on an amazing performance and putting on a great show for you guys,” Sims said.

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