Terence Crawford Claps Back at WBC For Stripping Him of World Title
It did not take long for Terence Crawford to clap back at the WBC for stripping him of their world championship belt that he won just a matter of months ago for beating Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in boxing.
In September, Crawford pulled off one of the most impressive performances of his entire career as he jumped multiple weight classes to beat Canelo in the Mexican’s own weight class, wresting all the major super middleweight world titles from his waist, and leaving the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as the sport’s pound-for-pound No.1-ranked fighter.
There has been great speculation as to what’s next for ‘Bud’, whether that’s a rematch against Canelo in the 168-pound division, a drop to middleweight to take on one of the champions there to become a six-weight ruler like Oscar de la Hoya, or even a crossover type fight against the likes of UFC superstar Ilia Topuria.
But shortly after besting Canelo, the WBC removed Crawford’s status as a champion. And now Crawford has responded.
READ: Why Terence Crawford’s ideal next fight is in jeopardy as title bout c
As earlier Wednesday, the WBC said, through its president Mauricio Sulaiman, that it stripped Crawford of the title over an apparent failure to pay sanctioning fees for his last two fights. The fees totalled $300,000 following the Canelo win, just for that one sanctioning body.
Crawford responded within hours during a live stream on social media. “Him saying I’m not paying him $300,000 plus another $100k or something for sanctioning fees, right. Then he tells me I haven’t even apologized, like, who the f*** you think I am? You better slap your f****** self.”
He continued: “What makes you better than any of the other sanctioning bodies? Answer that question. What makes you better than the WBO, IBF, or the WBA. Everybody accepted what I was giving them, but you think you’re better than everybody.”
Crawford Diminishes The WBC’s Relevence
Crawford then diminished the relevance of sanctioning bodies in boxing in the modern era, suggesting that the real champion in the fight game is the one who wears The Ring belt. Boxing financier Turki Alalshikh bought The Ring from Oscar de la Hoya and, though it’s traditionally been a media publication, under Alalshikh’s stewardship through COO Rick Reeno, it’s become more than that, and a combat sports promotion in and of itself.
“The real belt is The Ring belt,” Crawford said, “which is free.”
“You can take the f****** belt. It’s a trophy, anyway. What am I paying you every time I step foot [in the ring] … I’m the mother-f***** that’s putting my life on the line. Not you. You ain’t stepping your ass in that ring. Nobody else.”
“So why should I have to pay carry your belt? You should be paying me!”
