Terence “Bud” Crawford has been stripped of his World Boxing Council super middleweight title, ESPN reported Wednesday.
The WBC said the Omaha-born champion lost the belt because he did not pay the organization’s required sanctioning fees.
Crawford earned the title in September after a unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez, a career highlight that Omaha celebrated with a parade later that month.
According to a statement provided to ESPN, the WBC sent “multiple communications” about unpaid fees tied to Crawford’s bouts with Israil Madrimov and Alvarez. The organization said it received no reply and felt it had “no choice but to act.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Crawford fired back on social media, sharply criticizing WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman. Speaking on Instagram, he questioned the sanctioning fees the organization expected him to pay.
“Mauricio got a lot to say about me not paying him $300,000 plus another $100K-something for a sanctioning fee,” he said. “Then he’s gonna tell me I need to apologize. Who do you think I am? I ain’t paying you. What makes you so much better than any other sanctioning body?”
Crawford went on to say he felt the WBC expected more money from him than other organizations and dismissed the value of the belt. “You can take the belt. It’s a trophy anyway,” he said, adding that fighters are the ones risking their lives in the ring.
With the title now vacant, Hamzah Sheeraz and Christian Mbilli will fight for the championship.