Canelo Alvarez is set to be stripped of his IBF super middleweight title before his September 14 fight against Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

The decision comes as Alvarez’s mandatory defense against the IBF’s No. 1 contender, William Scull, is overdue.

Despite this, Alvarez will still defend his WBA, WBC, and WBO 168-pound titles against Berlanga. The IBF is expected to announce a vacant title fight between Scull and the No. 2 contender, Vladimir Shiskin.

“Once we officially notify the involved parties, we will issue a statement,” IBF President Daryl Peoples told ESPN on Thursday.

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Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) won the undisputed super middleweight championship in November 2021 by adding the IBF title with an 11th-round TKO against Caleb Plant. The 34-year-old Mexican fighter has successfully defended all four 168-pound belts four times.

Most recently, Alvarez outpointed Jaime Munguia in May.

Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) will be fighting for his first world title. The 27-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, is ranked No. 6 in the super middleweight division by ESPN.

Scull (22-0, 9 KOs), who fights out of Germany, has never competed at the world-class level. He is coming off an eight-round decision win over Sean Hemphill in May on the Alvarez-Munguia undercard.

Shiskin (16-0, 10 KOs) of Russia scored a seventh-round TKO victory over Mike Guy in March. The 32-year-old, based in South Florida, has a notable win over former titleholder Jose Uzcategui in December 2022.

Neither Scull nor Shiskin is currently rated by ESPN at super middleweight.

“Vladimir has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and I am thrilled that he is finally going to get his chance to shine,” said Shiskin’s promoter, Dmitry Salita. “As a promoter, it’s gratifying to see someone progress to world-champion status, especially after witnessing their growth from the early stages of their career.”

Alvarez joins the list of star boxers who have lost their undisputed championships after being stripped by the IBF. Oleksandr Usyk was stripped of his IBF heavyweight title after defeating Tyson Fury in May.

Erislandy Lara to Face Danny Garcia on Canelo-Berlanga Card

Erislandy Lara will defend his WBA middleweight title against Danny Garcia on September 14 in Las Vegas, PBC announced Thursday. This fight will be featured as the co-main event on the Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga card.

Originally scheduled for August 2023 and then postponed to the fall, the bout never materialized due to Showtime’s cessation of sports programming at the end of the year.

The fight was initially set to take place at a 155-pound catchweight.

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Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs) recently secured a second-round TKO victory over Michael Zerafa in March. A former 154-pound champion, Lara’s career highlights include a controversial decision loss to Paul Williams, a split-decision defeat to Alvarez, and a victory over Austin Trout.

Lara is ranked No. 6 in the middleweight division by ESPN. His split-decision defeat to Jarrett Hurd in 2018 was named ESPN’s Fight of the Year, and his draw with Brian Castano in 2019 was one of the year’s best fights.

Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs), a former unified 140-pound champion and 147-pound titleholder, gained prominence with a fourth-round TKO victory over Amir Khan in 2012, followed by a dominant win over Lucas Matthysse. His career also includes victories over Erik Morales, Zab Judah, and Lamont Peterson, as well as close decision losses to Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter.

The 36-year-old Philadelphia native made his 154-pound debut in July 2022 with a majority decision win over Jose Benavidez Jr. He has not fought since, with his last bout being a decision loss to Errol Spence Jr. in December 2020.