One of the more unexpected developments to emerge from this year’s WBC Convention is the growing fallout between the sanctioning body and Terence Crawford.
Earlier this week, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed that Crawford had been stripped of his WBC super-middleweight title for failing to pay sanctioning fees. The decision ends his reign as undisputed champion at 168lbs, leaving him with the remaining three belts. The now-vacant WBC title is set to be contested by interim champion Christian Mbilli and leading contender Hamzah Sheeraz.
Crawford responded with a furious nine-minute rant on Instagram Live.
“I see Mauricio got a lot to say about me not paying him $300,000 plus another $100k-something for sanctioning fees. Then he’s going to tell me I didn’t even apologise. Like, who the f*** do you think I am? Boy, you’ve got to slap your f*****g self. I ain’t paying your ass s**t. What the f*** you talking about, pay you $300,000? What makes you so mother*****g better than any of the other sanctioning bodies?”
Despite the outburst, Sulaiman insists the door remains open for Crawford to work with the WBC again. Speaking to iFL TV, he said the organisation had made “every attempt” to resolve the issue before taking action.
“It’s very unfortunate. Terence’s actions led to the WBC deciding something. We tried to find a resolution and avoid what eventually happened. But boxing champions have obligations, the same as they have great benefits from being a WBC champion.”
He also praised Crawford’s career and made clear that the relationship is not beyond repair.
“If he ever fights for the WBC and wants to abide by the rules, he’s more than welcome.”
