Terence Crawford has criticized WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman after losing his WBC super-middleweight title. Crawford achieved the undisputed 168lb champion status with a significant win over Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas, marking the first time a male fighter in the modern era held undisputed titles in three weight classes.
However, Crawford’s reign as the undisputed super-middleweight champion was short-lived as Sulaiman confirmed the stripping of his green and gold belt due to unpaid sanctioning fees. Crawford expressed his frustration over the situation, questioning the WBC’s authority and highlighting the financial burden placed on fighters for sanctioning bodies’ expenses.
In a separate event, Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul are set to compete in a heavyweight clash in Miami on December 19. The fight will be available for streaming on Netflix, with fans having access through Sky’s £15 Essential TV bundle, which is being promoted as the lowest price for Sky TV.
In response to Sulaiman’s remarks about Crawford’s unpaid fees, the WBC president described it as a significant disappointment, emphasizing the WBC’s role in facilitating lucrative fights like Crawford-Canelo. Despite the setback, the WBC swiftly organized a vacant title fight between Hamzah Sheeraz and Christian Mbilli, following Mbilli’s previous interim title win in June and subsequent defense in September. Sheeraz, on the other hand, has been inactive since his victory over Edgar Berlanga in July.