Canelo shuns WBC title in clash with Golovkin

When Canelo Alvarez takes on Gennady Golovkin in a middleweight showdown on Sept. 16, Golovkin will be defending all of his world titles, but Canelo won't be fighting for all of them. ESPN reports that Canelo has decided that he doesn't want to vie for Golovkin's WBC world title, highlighting the contentious relationship he's had with the sanctioning body in recent years.

Canelo will, however, be competing for Golovkin's WBA and IBF middleweight world titles.

"I am very proud to be fighting for these important titles in this fight," Alvarez said. "This will be the best boxing event of the year, and I know all of the fans from Mexico and beyond will come out and enjoy the fight as I defend my lineal and Ring magazine titles and take home the WBA and IBF championships."

But since Golovkin will officially be defending the WBC title in addition to the WBA and IBF titles in this fight, the WBC middleweight title would become vacant if he were to lose to Canelo this fall.