As he is still in the recovery phase after the surgery on his left hand, undisputed super middleweight world champion Canelo Alvarez will have a mandatory challenger for his WBC belt.
Canelo Alvarez will have a mandatory challenger from Benavidez vs. Plant but before that he must inform his return
During the mandatory fight session taking place at the 60th Annual WBC Convention in Acapulco, Mexico on Tuesday, Canelo‘s next mandatory opponent for his WBC super middleweight title was determined. The winner of the fight between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant, which will take place in March, will have the opportunity to face Canelo.
The WBC has ordered David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant in a bout to determine the next mandatory challenger for Canelo Alvarez's WBC super-middleweight title.
Benavidez-Plant is targeted for March 2023. pic.twitter.com/X8tlIofN04
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) November 9, 2022
The fight was confirmed by Mauricio Sulaimán during the third day of activities, after Sampson Lewkowicz, Benavidez’s promoter, asked for it to be a final round. Canelo is currently recovering from an operation on his left wrist, although it is unknown when he will return to the ring.
As a result, the WBC will inquire about the undisputed 168-pound champion to update on his injury and potential return, but the Mexican will have a mandatory rival.
In the meantime, Benavidez will put the interim WBC title on the line against Plant in March, as his promoter Lewkowicz, who asked that the winner of that fight be mandatory for Canelo, confirmed.
The request was approved and, if he wins his March fight, Benavidez will have the fight with Canelo, something which ‘El Bandera Roja’ has been calling for quite some time. Even though the undisputed monarch has repeatedly said that he does not want to fight Mexicans, Canelo would be obliged to face Benavidez, his compatriot, if he is victorious over Plant.
The other situation, if Plant emerges as the winner, then the mandatory will be a rematch to their November 2021 clash, when Plant still held the IBF belt and contested Canelo for the undisputed throne.
Canelo, since then, went up to light heavyweight and suffered a loss to WBA champ Dmitry Bivol in May, but returned to winning ways after dropping down to 168 and defending his undisputed status in a trilogy against Gennadiy Golovkin in September.
