Juan Manuel Marquez believes Canelo Alvarez must vacate WBC title

In light of the lack of progress in the negotiations between Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez, Juan Manuel Marquez believes the WBC should strip Canelo of his title.

Many expected a primetime battle between Canelo and Benavidez to be agreed fairly quickly, especially when it became clear that a rematch with Dmitry Bivol wouldn’t happen before 2024.

However, negotiations have reached a standstill and the longer Canelo doesn’t fight, the more the rest of the division becomes frustrated.

Potential title challengers see their careers put on hold, which isn’t what anyone wants after the COVID-19 pandemic was particularly damaging to professional boxing.

Marquez believes that Alvarez is looking to avoid making a mandatory defense of his WBC crown, and as such he must be reprimanded in accordance with the rules.

“They have to ignore and strip the champion of the title if he does not want to make his mandatory defense, and it seems that it is the World Boxing Council that has to exercise the regulations,” Marquez told ProBox TV Espanol.

Canelo has been instructed to defend his title

For all of Marquez’s protestations, it’s actually been previously pointed out to Canelo Alvarez that he must defend his belt, by none other than Mauricio Sulaiman, president of the CMB.

However, whilst Alvarez is obligated to defend his belt, the time frame in this case allows the Mexican to have an open fight against an opponent of his choosing first.

Now, initially this was thought to be Bivol in a rematch, but the fact those negotiations have broken down have left the situation way behind schedule.

Marquez has been a vocal critic of Alvarez and his team for a long time, and this latest episode isn’t changing his opinion.

“We are clear, the regulations have to be carried out, of course we know that Benavidez is the official challenger and he has to fight Canelo Alvarez,” he continued.

“He is the undisputed champion at 168 pounds, he has to make the mandatory defense, if Canelo doesn’t want to fight Benavidez, he has to leave the title vacant.”