After champion David Benavidez lost his WBC 168lbs title on the scales on Friday, the sanctioning body’s Board of Governors has ordered a fight between Canelo Alvarez and Avni Yildirim for the vacant crown.
The WBC Board of Governors voted 36-1 in favour of WBC Franchise 160lbs champion Alvarez meeting Turkey’s Yildirim, currently the organisation’s No.1 contender at 168lbs.
Mexican Canelo was supposed to fight in September, but his plans have been delayed by the Covid-19 Pandemic with the likes of Callum Smith and John Ryder previously mentioned as potential opponents.
A suspicious mind would say that the Canelo camp contacted the WBC and asked for a crack at the vacant title. It’s a very winnable fight and affordable, in terms of Yildirim’s purse expectations, and comes with a significant world title belt.
The fight being ordered doesn’t mean it will happen, but the contest has a considerable upside for Canelo as he waits for fans to pack arenas and paydays to rise again.
Canelo (53-1-2, 36 KOs) hasn’t fought since stopping Sergey Kovalev in 11 rounds in November 2019 while Yildirim (21-2, 12 KOs) was last in action in February 2019 when he dropped a controversial 10-round technical decision to Anthony Dirrell that gave him mandatory status after an appeal.