Canelo Drops WBC Middleweight Title, Golovkin Adds Belt Without a Punch

Canelo Drops WBC Middleweight Title – Golden Boy Promotions and WBC World middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez issued a statement today stating that “Canelo” will be vacating the WBC belt he has held since defeating Miguel Cotto in November of last year.

PIC: Happier days. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman gives Alvarez the WBC’s belt in a ceremony held this past January.

The press release went to great pains to state Golden Boy and Alvarez’ company line that he is the number one draw in boxing and he will not have terms dictated to him. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman had issued a ruling that required Alvarez to strike a deal with Gennady Golovkin, the WBC’s mandatory challenger, by May 24th. After that date, the WBC would have initiated their bidding process.

With this latest announcement, GBP and Alvarez avoid the WBC’s required date. The press release claims that Alvarez and his promoters will continue to work on making a fight with “Triple G” but that they will not be dictated to by “artificial” deadlines.

Golovkin and his camp have been clear since before Alvarez stuck a foot in the middleweight division that his goal is to unite all the belts at 160 lbs. By giving up the belt, Alvarez makes himself less appealing to the “Triple G” camp, though it should be clear that Alvarez believes he is still operating from a position of strength because Golovkin won’t make near the money with anyone else standing across the ring from him.

By imposing a deadline for the negotiations, the WBC and Sulaiman were actually attempting to deliver the fight that everyone wants to see in 2016. Alvarez apparently chafed at the time period imposed. Alvarez’s actions serve as yet another example of how little value any of the alphabet soup world titles are really worth, as Alvarez and his handlers are apparently not worried about this becoming a public relations black eye. The WBC is one of the older and more respected of the governing bodies, but it is clear even they are powerless when it comes right down to it.

The WBC followed up Alvarez´s statement just a few hours later, announcing that with Alvarez´s resignation, they are granting the belt to Gennady Golovkin and recognizing him as the WBC’s full middleweight champion. Check out the WBC´s official announcement on their website.

So May 18th, 2016 will go down as the day in boxing history where Saul “Canelo” Alvarez gave up the WBC middleweight belt and Gennady Golovkin was named champion without throwing a punch.

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