Terence Crawford stripped of WBC title over sanctioning fee dispute

Terence Crawford stripped of WBC title over sanctioning fee disputeStory byLAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 15: Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Champion Terence Crawford walks the field prior to the game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium on September 15, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) (Kevin Sabitus via Getty Images)Darshan DesaiUncrownedWed, December 3, 2025 at 10:05 AM UTC·2 min read

Terence Crawford's undisputed title reign lasted a mere 81 days.

Crawford was stripped of his WBC super middleweight championship in the early hours of Wednesday morning at the WBC's annual convention in Bangkok, Thailand.

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WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said that this was because Crawford had not paid WBC sanctioning fees for his last two fights, against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez this past September and Israil Madrimov in August 2024.

"Champion Crawford allegedly earned $50 million [for] that fight [vs. Alvarez]," Sulaiman explained. "Appreciating the magnitude of that event and the magnitude of those monies, the WBC modifies rules to limit the boxer's bout fees to 0.6% [$300,000] instead of the 3% [$1.5 million], which the rules required."

"The WBC put champion Crawford on notice of his failure to comply with express mandates of the WBC rules and regulations," Sulaiman continued. "Specifically, non-payment of the boxer's bout fees for his last two fights against Israil Madrimov and against Saul Alvarez.

"The WBC sent multiple communications to champion Crawford, his manager, and his legal counsel. Very unfortunately, the WBC did not even receive an acknowledgement of receipt, nor any response to any of those communications.

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"The WBC had no choice but to act, considering champion Crawford had received ample notification and multiple opportunities to address and resolve the situation. ... The WBC board has voted to declare vacant the WBC super middleweight title effective immediately."

Crawford, Uncrowned's No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, made history when he defeated Alvarez by unanimous decision in September to capture the undisputed super middleweight crown. By doing so, he became a five-division champion and the first male boxer of the four-belt era to win undisputed titles in three weight classes.

Now, however, Crawford no longer holds all of the cards at 168 pounds — although a second meeting between him and Alvarez is still in play.

Furthermore, the sanctioning body ordered their interim champion, Christian Mbilli, to face the No. 2 contender, Hamzah Sheeraz, for the now-vacated WBC super middleweight title.

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Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) has been linked with a fight against Jaime Munguia in early 2026. The French-Canadian Mbilli retained his WBC interim title with a split draw over Lester Martinez on the Alvarez vs. Crawford undercard. The WBC also ruled that the Mbilli vs. Sheeraz winner must defend against Martinez afterward.

Britain's Sheeraz (22-0-1, 18 KOs) knocked out Edgar Berlanga in the fifth round this past July in his super middleweight debut. Prior to that, Sheeraz was fortunate to escape with a draw in his challenge of WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames in February.

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