Canelo Alvarez ordered to fight for Terence Crawford’s vacated world title against new unbeaten rival

Canelo Alvarez has been ordered to face Osley Iglesias by the IBF for the super-middleweight world title he lost to Terence Crawford.

The Mexican superstar was dethroned by a masterclass from Crawford, who outboxed him to claim the undisputed titles in September.

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Alvarez was understood to be prioritising an immediate sequel with Crawford, with negotiations having reportedly began.

But shortly after, the American decided to hang up his gloves which has seen him vacate all of the titles at 168lbs.

Despite defeat, Alvarez is still well ranked in the division, particularly with the IBF where he sits at No.3.

And as a result, he has now been ordered to face No.1 ranked Osley Iglesias by the sanctioning body.

The pair have been invited to officially enter negotiations over a showdown.

Will Canelo fight Osley Iglesias?

A fight seems unlikely to materialise down to a multiple of factors including the former undisputed king’s return date.

His long-term trainer Eddy Reynoso revealed that the champion had a surgical procedure on his elbow after losing to Crawford.

And as a result, his return next year will not be until May at the earliest, but could even land at his trademark September date.

Also, the champion could well look for more lucrative opportunities as he approaches the later stages of his career.

Alvarez previously signed a fight deal with Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh, and could still command big bucks for his comeback outing.

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Who else could Canelo fight?

Should Alvarez opt to reject the order, the next available option will be contacted to face Iglesias.

But for the former pound-for-pound leader, he will then need to assess his options with a rematch against Crawford off the table.

He has regularly spoken about fighting on British shores, and Hamzah Sheeraz could well be an option.

Briton Sheeraz has been ordered to fight Diego Pacheco for the WBO world title in 2026.

And should he win, it could provide one of the biggest commercial bouts left in the division for Alvarez.

He has regularly spoken about a rematch with light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol who beat him in 2022.

But the challenge of trying to hand the slick operator his first career defeat could well be too far for Alvarez.