Mexican power-puncher Marco Antonio Rubio has decided to relinquish the World Boxing Federation World Super Middleweight title, in order to return to the middleweight division and focus on getting another shot at a world title in what is one of the sport’s most prestigious weight classes.

Rubio fought his fellow countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for a middleweight world championship last year, but lost on points and moved up in weight to capture the WBF crown by stopping Argentinean Carlos Manuel Baldomir in four rounds.

He made one defense of the title, this past December, when he stopped another Mexican, Michel Rosales, in round eleven of an all-out war to bring his professional ledger to 56-6-1 (49), before deciding to return to his natural weight class.

“Personally, I felt very comfortable being the WBF World Champion, because the WBF is a real sanctioning body and I am very grateful towards the organization”, said Rubio. “Hopefully in the future I will come back to the WBF.”

Despite having sixty-three professional fights under his belt, Rubio is only 32 years old and has plenty of time to achieve his middleweight-goals. Prior to the Chavez defeat he also came in second in a world middleweight title challenge against Kelly Pavlik, so he is now aiming for third time lucky in the near future.

A possible fight with undefeated WBF World Middleweight Champion Vitalyi Kopylenko could be an interesting option for Rubio later this year.