Saul “Canelo” Alvarez may have lost his undisputed crown, but the former champion remains at the top of the division in the sanctioning bodies’ eyes.
Alvarez dropped his super middleweight titles to Terence Crawford on September 13 in a clear unanimous decision. Days later, the WBC updated its rankings, slotting Canelo as the No. 1 contender behind Crawford and interim titlist Christian Mbilli.
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Now the WBO has followed suit. Its latest ratings, released September 25, place Alvarez at No. 1 at 168lbs. Crawford’s victory vacated that position, allowing Canelo to take the top spot despite no longer being champion.
Trailing him in the WBO rankings are Hamzah Sheeraz at No. 2, followed by Diego Pacheco, Jacob Bank, Alem Begic, Simon Zhachenhuber, Paulinus Ndjolonimu, Kevin Lele Sadjo, Jaime Munguia, Callum Simpson, Bektemir Melikuziev, Edgar Berlanga, Bruno Surace, Ali Akhmedov and Lester Martinez.
Other sanctioning bodies will update soon. The WBA, which has Bektemir Melikuziev at No. 1 and Jose Armando Resendiz as its interim champion, is expected to publish its next ratings on October 1. The IBF, whose top spot was vacant in early September, is likely to recognize Osleys Iglesias in its October update following his stoppage win over Vladimir Shishkin.
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