The World Boxing Council (WBC) Annual Convention left one of the strongest news in recent boxing: Terence Crawford was officially stripped of the WBC super middleweight world championship, the same one he conquered by defeating Saul “Canelo” Alvarez last September in Las Vegas.
Mauricio Sulaiman, president of the organization, confirmed that the decision was made after months without communication with the American fighter and after Terence Crawford failed to pay the last two mandatory sanctions, a requirement applied to all WBC champions.
WBC strips Crawford after ignoring rules and penalties
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Sulaiman said the move “was complicated and sad,” as Terence Crawford had been endorsed for years by the organization.
However, he added that the former champion “decided not to respect the rules”, despite having been given multiple opportunities to regularize his situation.
According to the leader, even after receiving more than $50 million for the fight against Canelo, the American did not meet the minimum quota that helps fund support programs for retired, injured or vulnerable boxers.
The WBC president assured that there were calls, messages, invitations to the convention and an ultimatum, all unanswered.
As a result, the agency proceeded to withdraw the title and declare it vacant.
Despite this decision, Terence Crawford retains the WBO, WBA and IBF belts at 168 pounds.
Mbilli and Sheeraz to contest the vacant title
With the WBC belt ownerless, the body ordered a title fight between Christian Mbilli (interim champion) and number two ranked Hamzah Sheeraz, who is coming off a knockout victory over Edgar Berlanga.
The winner will have to defend against Guatemalan Lester Martinez, one of the contenders who has climbed the most in the division.
The decision was difficult and sad
Mauricio Sulaimán
Canelo Alvarez keeps the door open
Despite losing to Terence Crawford, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez retains his number one WBC ranking at 168 pounds.
After undergoing surgery, he is still eligible to contest the vacant belt directly if he applies to the body.
Sulaiman confirmed that Canelo has “open doors” to fight for the championship as soon as he communicates his availability, which would place the Mexican once again at the center of one of the most competitive divisions in world boxing.
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