Former undisputed super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo has become beltless, as the WBA has followed suit on the other sanctioning bodies by stripping the American of his titles.
While some of the jewellery has now seemingly freed up, the 33-year-old – coming off his defeat to Canelo Alvarez up at super middleweight – still has the option to reclaim two of his trinkets.
Following a vote that was put to the WBA championship committee, president Gilberto Mendoza has confirmed that Charlo is now their “champion in recess”, leaving the door open for a potential move back down to 154 lbs.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has taken the same stance, while the WBO remain the only alphabet organisation with a full champion at super welterweight: Tim Tszyu, who faces Keith Thurman on March 30.
While failing at his attempt to topple the undisputed king in two divisions above, he had already succeeded in acquiring the coveted status back in 2022, ripping the WBO belt from Brian Castano following a tenth-round knockout over the Argentinian.
Despite his controversial draw with Castano the year before, adding the final piece to the jigsaw ultimately cemented Charlo as the number one in his division. As of now, though, he has expressed no interest in a move back down to his former division.
For his old WBA title, Israil Madrimov and Magomed Kurbanov were set to collide on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
But, following an issue with Madrimov’s pre-fight scan, the showdown could now be cancelled, though it is believed they are attempting to get a second opinion in order to salvage the bout.