Canizales (28-3-1, 20 KO) brutally stopped Panya Pradabsri in their rematch this past August, avenging a bogus decision loss in Thailand the previous year. Despite this being a voluntary defense and Canizales not being due for a mandatory defense until next summer, the WBC appear to have stripped Canizales of the belt and declared him “champion in recess,” pitting Knockout (28-1, 11 KO) against Argentina’s Junior Zarate (26-5, 9 KO) for the now-vacant title. Keep in mind that this is the same sanctioning body that let Jermall Charlo go 1,000 days without a title defense.
Dude just can’t catch a break.
