When boxing’s top attraction Saul “Canelo” Alvarez arrived at super middleweight, the division essentially froze to a standstill, with the majority of champions and contenders alike — except David Benavidez — essentially waiting to land their payday against the Mexican star. But now that Alvarez no longer holds all of the 168-pound belts and has shared the ring with the majority of viable opponents in the weight class, things are finally starting to move again.
Edgar Berlanga, the most recent man to earn more than $10 million to challenge for Alvarez’s WBA, WBC and WBO unified titles, is planning a long-awaited homecoming on March 8 in his native Puerto Rico. Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) has never fought in Puerto Rico before, but will now do so on a show promoted by Matchroom Boxing and streamed on DAZN.
No opponent has been finalized for Berlanga, however his fellow Puerto Rican Gabriel Rosado has called for a chance to come out of retirement and face Berlanga.
The ongoing war of words between Berlanga and Caleb Plant was also reignited in the last few days, and although Berlanga won’t face Plant in March, it is possible that he could do so later in 2025. A Mexico vs. Puerto Rico fight with Jamie Munguia, who returns on Dec. 14, is also possible for Berlanga in 2025.
Dan Rafael was first to report the date of Berlanga’s return.
In addition, the IBF has ordered William Scull to defend his super middleweight championship in a rematch with Vladimir Shiskin after Scull won a controversial decision in their vacant title fight on Oct. 19. The order isn’t for an immediate rematch, so the Germany-based Scull can still fight other opposition in between.
Scull (25-0, 16 KOs) edged a 115-113, 116-13, 116-112 unanimous decision over Shishkin (16-1, 10 KOs) in Germany in their first meeting, with many feeling that Shishkin deserved victory on the night.
Shishkin’s promoter, Dmitry Salita, lodged an official complaint with the IBF asking for the verdict to be overturned and for an immediate rematch; neither request was granted. However, Shishkin is ranked No. 2 in the IBF’s latest rankings and has been guaranteed a shot at the IBF title, which was relinquished by Alvarez earlier this year, at some point in 2025.
Alongside this, the IBF has ordered an official eliminator between its No. 3 and No. 4-ranked boxers, France’s Christian Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs) and Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs), with the winner also set to enter the picture for a chance to fight for the IBF’s 168-pound strap.
Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom is currently targeting Pacheco’s return for Jan. 25 at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, with a Trevor McCumby matchup in negotiations. Pacheco, who is also ranked No. 1 in the WBO, could, however, halt those plans to face France’s Mbilli instead.
The U.S. based Pacheco was last seen in action in August, when he knocked out former world title challenger Maciej Sulecki in the sixth round in Carson, California. McCumby surprisingly knocked down one-time titlist Caleb Plant when they clashed in September, albeit in a losing effort.
