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Boxing News Roundup (May 16, 2019): Canelo mandatory, Wilder-Breazeale, WBSS previews, more

Canelo Alvarez has a mandatory order and more from Wednesday in boxing.

Canelo Alvarez v Daniel Jacobs Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
Scott Christ is the managing editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2006.

Miss anything on Wednesday? You might have. So here’s a roundup.

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Canelo Alvarez just won the IBF middleweight title on May 4 against Daniel Jacobs, adding it to his WBC and WBA belts, and he’s been hit with a mandatory defense order to face Sergiy Derevyanchenko by Aug. 4.

Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KO) is the biggest power player in boxing today, but even that doesn’t make him immune to mandatory defenses or anything. This is why, if you’ve ever wondered, there aren’t more unified titleholders in boxing, and so incredibly few full unifications of a division. It’s almost impossible to keep up with every mandatory and whatnot. Canelo wants to fight Sept. 14, and surely Golden Boy could pull the strings and push a Derevyanchenko fight back to that date instead of Aug. 4 — if they want to fight Derevyanchenko, and if a deal can be made.

Alvarez has stated his intention is to fully unify at 160. The only belt he doesn’t have is the one held by Demetrius Andrade, the WBO title. So there was the thought that he’d face Andrade in September, perhaps. But if the IBF is genuinely serious about this and Derevyanchenko doesn’t or won’t accept step-aside money for the time being, then that’s not happening. Either Alvarez will give up the IBF title, or he won’t fight for the WBO belt next.

We’ve got three big fights coming on Saturday. The most mainstream of the lot is Deontay Wilder’s return on Showtime, taking on Dominic Breazeale. Wilder did ESPN First Take and repeated his bit about wanting to kill a guy in the ring, which maybe if he says it another 15,000 times might finally get him the attention he so desperately wants from it, the first 12,000 having so far failed to do much more than get the relatively small amount of people who already know who he is talking.

Wilder also broke the gavel at the NYSE and rang the closing bell, and Breazeale and the undercard fighters held their own media workout in Brooklyn.

The less mainstream and much better show is live Saturday afternoon US time on DAZN from Glasgow, featuring a pair of World Boxing Super Series tournament semifinals. We previewed both fights: Josh Taylor vs Ivan Baranchyk and Naoya Inoue vs Emmanuel Rodriguez. Lewis Watson also took a look at Inoue.

There was also some tension at the Inoue-Rodriguez media workout, with Inoue’s father-trainer Shingo being shoved by a Team Rodriguez member. In the other fight, Taylor thinks that Baranchyk has made a mistake going with Freddie Roach seven weeks ahead of the fight.

Quick Hits

Boxing at Copper Box Arena Photo by Leigh Dawney/Getty Images

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