Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez has been ordered by the World Boxing Council (WBC) to fight Avni Yildirim for the vacant super-middleweight title.

Yildirim is the mandatory challenger for the belt, which was left vacant last week when David Benavidez failed to make weight ahead of his bout with Roamer Alexis Angulo.

The 29-year-old, who has a record of 21-2 with 12 knockouts, was considered Benavidez's next opponent but has not fought since February 2019.

He will now face Alvarez, the holder of the WBC 'franchise' title at middleweight, on a date yet to be decided.

WBA super-middleweight Callum Smith had been considered the most likely candidate to face Alvarez next but will now have to wait for his title shot.

Alvarez's last fight was November's win over Sergey Kovalev, with a couple of bouts – including one set for September against Billy Joe Saunders – falling through.