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WBC Strips Terence Crawford of Super Middleweight Title Over Unpaid Fees

The sanctioning body says unpaid fees led it to vacate its 168-pound belt.

Overview

  • WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán announced at the body’s Bangkok convention that Crawford was stripped after failing to pay required fees for his Canelo Álvarez bout and a 2024 fight versus Israil Madrimov.
  • The WBC says it reduced its standard charge to 0.6% for the Álvarez fight, about $300,000, and that most of the money was designated for the José Sulaimán Boxers Fund.
  • Officials said multiple messages to Crawford, his manager and legal counsel went unanswered before the title was declared vacant.
  • The organization ordered interim champion Christian Mbilli to face Hamzah Sheeraz for the vacant belt, with Lester Martinez positioned as the next mandatory challenger.
  • Crawford fired back on Instagram, disputing the reported purse, accusing Sulaimán of favoritism, rejecting the fee demand, and noting he still holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles.