Terence Crawford has criticized WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman after losing his WBC super-middleweight title. Crawford, known as ‘Bud,’ clinched the undisputed 168lb championship by defeating Canelo Alvarez in September in Las Vegas, making him the first male fighter in recent history to hold undisputed titles across three weight classes.
However, Crawford’s reign as the super-middleweight champion was short-lived as Sulaiman announced that he was stripped of his title due to unpaid sanctioning fees. Crawford expressed his discontent with the decision, stating that he was not willing to pay the requested fees and questioning the WBC’s superiority over other organizations.
In a separate boxing event, Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul are set to battle in a heavyweight clash in Miami on December 19. The fight will be live-streamed on Netflix, available for free with Sky’s £15 Essential TV bundle, marking the lowest price ever offered for Sky TV.
Sulaiman responded to Crawford’s refusal to pay the fees by calling it a disrespectful act, considering the WBC’s role in facilitating lucrative fights like Crawford versus Canelo. As a result of the dispute, the WBC declared the super-middleweight title vacant, leading to an upcoming title fight between Hamzah Sheeraz and Christian Mbilli. Mbilli, who previously held the interim title, will face Sheeraz, a British boxer known for his knockout victory over Edgar Berlanga.