Multiple weight boxing champion Terence Crawford has been stripped of his WBC super middleweight title.
In September, American boxer Crawford picked up the biggest win of his professional career as he beat boxing legend Canelo Alvarez in a bout at the Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas.
After a brutal 12 round fight, 'Bud' was declared the winner via unanimous decision, taking the WBA (Super) Light Middleweight title and asserting himself as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Since then, Crawford has enjoyed some time away from the sport, despite recently being heavily linked with a fight with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
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But now, the American has suddenly been stripped of one of his world titles, as the WBC have released a statement confirming their decision to remove him as super middleweight champion.
Ahead of the announcement, Crawford held four undisputed belts as the WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF Super Middleweight Champion having previously achieved undisputed status in the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions.
This meant that the 38-year-old was the first, and only, male boxer to become the undisputed champion in three different weight classes during the four-belt era.
But WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has now confirmed that Crawford is no longer the undisputed Super Middleweight Champion as he has been stripped of the organisation's belt for non-payment of fees.
Sulaiman read from a news release on December 3 claiming that after his win over Canelo, Crawford denied the sanctioning body of $300,000 in sanctioning fees, about 0.6% of his $50 million purse.
"The WBC was instrumental in making Crawford-Canelo," said Sulaiman.
"For making an event with multi-million dollars at stake. For both fighters' life-changing money for their families and their next generations.
"We did many things, that ring that made news all over the world, made statues... just to receive a slap in the face, it is sad.
"But the WBC and boxing is about everyone. Boxing is about any organisation, any promoter, any fighter.
"As long as we honour and we respect, we will go on.
"And then the next champion will be as good or better than the champion that had it.
"The championship is now vacant."
It comes after he had reportedly denied payment from his August 2024 victory over Israil Madrimov at junior middleweight.
“He forgot how he got to make $50 million,” Sulaiman added.
Following the decision to strip Crawford, the WBC board reportedly voted for a title fight between interim champion Christian Mbilli and England’s Hamzah Sheeraz for the now vacant belt.
Lester Martinez, who draw with Mbilli on the undercard of Crawford v Alvarez, will then fight the winner of Mbilli-Sheeraz later next year.
Topics: Boxing, Canelo Alvarez, Boxing News
Ben McCrum