Two proud champions who have defeated every challenger in the ring are deceived by frivolous conditions to retain their belts.
On Tuesday's episode of Probox TV's “Deep Waters,” the prospect of Canelo Alvarez relinquishing his IBF super middleweight belt and heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk's desire to retain his undefeated title were discussed.
“Too much of anything is bad, and too many belts is bad for the sport,” says veteran trainer Teddy Atlas.
Mexico's Alvarez has defended his status as the first undefeated super middleweight champion in the four-belt era a record four times, but the IBF has stipulated that he will be stripped of the belt if he does not agree by next week to face IBF's number one contender, little-known Cuban William Scurll.
Alvarez has decided to vacate the belt and step down as the undisputed champion as he has no interest in fighting Scurll despite having far more attractive and lucrative offers available to him.
“In boxing, you can be bigger than a belt,” former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi said on “Deep Waters.”
“Boxing has created a bit of a sneaky standard. If you're famous enough, championships don't matter.”
Atlas vigorously opposed the ranking process used by sanctioning bodies.
For example, the WBC does not include other champions from other sanctioning organizations in its rankings, even though those champions are clearly superior to the fighters on the list.
The IBF has been meticulous in enforcing its mandatory requirements for champions since its involvement in the 2000 bribery trials, but the process of climbing the rankings has been manipulated by a number of questionable challengers.
Scurll (22-0, 9 KOs), for example, last fought against Jaime Munguia on the pay-per-view pre-show for Alvarez’s May 4 title defense.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Alvarez consider a fight in New York against Brooklyn's WBA-man Edgar Berlanga, or a matchup proposed by Saudi Arabia's Turki Alarcik against Terence Crawford, who could become a four-division world champion by early 2025.
“It's like what they say about making the sausage: If you look at the process of how someone becomes a No. 1 candidate, some of them, it's all about politics,” Atlas said. “It's not about earning it. It's about politics.”
Former 140-pound champion Chris Algieri said the focus on mandatory by elite champions is outdated, recalling that the last unbeaten champion who was committed to defending all of his belts was Bernard Hopkins.
Meanwhile, Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) has filed for an exception to the IBF's requirements and will next face mandatory No. 1 contender Filip Hrgovic.
IBF rules prohibit champions from signing two-fight contracts when a mandatory bout is looming, but Usyk will honour his rematch with the WBC's most recent champion, Tyson Fury, on December 21 in Saudi Arabia.
Hrgovic faces England's Daniel Dubois in Saudi Arabia on Saturday as he prepares to face former three-division champion Anthony Joshua of England at Wembley Stadium in September – a bout that could take on added significance if it includes a title shot.
“It's good to have a belt as you go through the promotion to get validation, validation and recognition,” Atlas said. “After that, goodbye to the belt! It's all about how you perform in the ring and how you sell yourself.”
Atlas said the winner of Hrgovic vs. Dubois will either fight for the title or be “set up” for a title fight.
“Hrgovic spent two years on deck,” Algieri claimed.
“You're wasting your time,” Atlas agreed. “It's the peak. It's not fair. But it's also not fair to Usyk. He has earned the right to be the undisputed champion and he wants to keep it that way for more than five minutes.”
“He cherishes the pride that goes into the belt, especially the pride he has for his country during the war. He is a symbol of the strongest. He is the only heavyweight champion in the world and he is from Ukraine. That goes beyond common sense.”
“He's a hard-working family man, country is important to him and being the undisputed champion is important.”
