Terence Crawford has been stripped of his World Boxing Council (WBC) super-middleweight title after failing to pay mandatory sanctioning fees, the sanctioning body confirmed Wednesday.
Fee Dispute Ends Brief Reign
Crawford had captured the WBC crown in September by defeating Canelo Álvarez in a high-profile bout that crowned him undisputed super-middleweight champion.
But on Dec. 3, during the WBC’s annual convention in Bangkok, the organization announced the belt was vacated. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said the sanctioning body sent “multiple communications to Champion Crawford, his manager, and his legal counsel,” but received “no acknowledgment of receipt nor anything in response.”
According to Sulaiman, Crawford owed approximately $300,000 in fees tied to his September win over Álvarez — a sum reduced from the usual 3 percent to 0.6 percent of his reported $50 million purse. The unpaid fee reportedly also included a prior bout against Israil Madrimov in 2024.
“It is with deep regret, deep sadness,” Sulaiman said, “that with all the efforts, support and steps the WBC took in good faith … the organization had no choice but to act.”
With Crawford’s title revoked, the WBC ordered interim super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli to face contender Hamzah Sheeraz for the vacant belt.
That matchup now looms as the next major event in the division. Meanwhile, Crawford retains his other belts — the WBA, IBF and WBO versions — but is no longer recognized by WBC as champion at 168 pounds.
In a pointed response to the decision, Crawford criticized the WBC, calling their belt “a trophy” and deriding their governance. He contended that sanctioning bodies impose unfair financial burdens while profiting themselves.
The stripping of Crawford marks a dramatic turn for a fighter whose rise to the top had gained widespread admiration. His victory over Álvarez had been hailed as a defining moment of 2025.