The WBC makes changes that resembles the WBA regarding Canelo Alvarez and Jermall Charlo.
In a recent shock announcement, the WBC has named middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez as the new title “Franchise Champion.” The move removes Alvarez from mandatory obligations and essentially frees him to takes fights as he pleases.
This now means that any opponent who defeats Alvarez in a fight, instead of being the champion of that division will now receive the Diamond belt. The Diamond belt was created in 2009 for Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto.
It is a designation for the winner of a historic bout. If you think that sounds crazy, it does.The WBC also elevated Jermall Charlo to the regular champion status that Alvarez once held.
If you’re thinking this sounds familiar, it’s because this arrangement is almost identical to the WBA and its super champion and regular champion setup. This is very confusing because Charlo had been vocal about his desire to face Canelo.
Now it seems there’s no vehicle in place to mandate the fight. It’s even worse when you consider the PBC/DAZN rivalry, Charlo is now completely walled off from both Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.
While most fans may just see this as a sanctioning body adding another title, it’s actually worse. The WBC has basically told fans that if a fighter generates enough revenue he can be placed into a protection plan.
These types of decisions are what’s slowly crippling the sport, as a matter of fact the term “sport” barely applies.
By: Corey Cunningham
