Canelo lands world title shot against undefeated KO artist

Canelo ordered for immediate world title shot against undefeated KO artist

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez could find himself back in the world title picture should he choose to accept the IBF’s recent order.

The Mexican superstar lost his undisputed super-middleweight championship to Terence Crawford in September 2025, ending his dominant five-year reign in the division with his third defeat in 68 contests.

Though he initially desired a rematch with Crawford, the American pound-for-pound star scrapped any chance of that by officially announcing his retirement from the sport last month .

Remaining highly ranked in the 168lbs weight class, it was always clear that Alvarez would not struggle to land himself another shot at one of the belts once they were scattered by Crawford vacating.

The first opportunity to do so has now been made available by the IBF, who, according to promoter Camille Estephan, have ordered a fight between the former undisputed champion and rising Cuban contender Osleys Iglesias, who is also the reigning IBO champion at the weight.

Southpaw Iglesias , promoted by Estephan’s Eye of the Tiger Management, is 14-0 with 13 knockouts, having most recently stopped Vladimir Shishkin inside eight rounds in September .

Official word from the IBF, as well as a timeline for negotiations, is yet to come. It also remains to be seen whether or not Canelo’s team decide to participate, as they may be in the market for a bigger name.