Terence Crawford has criticized WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman following the removal of his WBC super-middleweight title. Crawford achieved the undisputed 168lb champion status with a historic win over Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas, making him the first male fighter in the modern era to hold undisputed titles in three weight classes. However, Sulaiman announced that Crawford was stripped of his title due to unpaid sanctioning fees, causing Crawford to express his frustration on Instagram.
In response to Sulaiman’s statements about the unpaid fees, Crawford vehemently defended himself, questioning the significance of the WBC belt and criticizing the financial burden placed on fighters by sanctioning bodies. Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul are set to clash in a heavyweight bout in Miami on December 19, which will be streamed on Netflix. The fight can be accessed for free with Sky’s Essential TV bundle.
Sulaiman described Crawford’s failure to pay the sanctioning fees as a disrespectful act, highlighting the WBC’s role in organizing lucrative fights like Crawford vs. Canelo. Despite the setback, the WBC quickly arranged a vacant title fight between Hamzah Sheeraz and Christian Mbilli. Mbilli, who won the interim title in June and defended it in September, will now compete against Sheeraz, a British fighter coming off a notable victory over Edgar Berlanga.
The championship title is now vacant following Crawford’s dethronement, signaling a new chapter in the super-middleweight division.