Saul Alvarez refused to fight for the title that was vacated by Crawford

The real drama unfolded around the title of world champion according to the IBF version in the second middle weight (up to 76.2 kg) after the retirement of one of the strongest boxers of our time – the American Terence Crawford.

The main contender for the vacant belt was the number one in the rating, the Cuban Ausleis Iglesias (14–0, 13 KOs), however, finding an opponent for him turned out to be an extremely difficult task.

Former world champions representing Mexico – Saul Alvarez (63–3–2, 39 KOs, third place) and Jaime Munguia (45–2, 35 KOs, fourth place) refused to fight for the title.

Now it is expected that the fight with Iglesias will be offered to Troy Williamson (22–4–1, 16 KOs), who is ranked sixth in the International Boxing Federation.

In 2025, Saul Alvarez held the IBF, WBC, WBO and WBA titles, but he lost in September to Crawford, who in turn retired soon after. One belt immediately found a new owner – the Cuban Jose Armanio Resendis was promoted in the status of the WBA line.