WBC Strips Terence Crawford As Mbilli–Sheeraz Looms

Terence Crawford Stripped Of WBC Super-Middle Title; Hamzah Sheeraz-Christian Mbilli Fight To Contest The Vacant Belt

An interesting development has come at the ongoing WBC convention in Bangkok, Thailand. Terence Crawford, who scooped up the unified 168-pound titles with his historic September win over Canelo Alvarez, has been stripped of his WBC belt. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, speaking to reporters at the convention, said the fact that Crawford – who earned around $50 million for the Canelo fight (and is now in a position to be able to demand double that for a return fight) – did not pay the sanctioning fees from his last two fights can only be looked at as a “slap in the face.”

Sulaiman and the WBC board thus voted to strip “Bud” of their world title, and now it will likely be WBC interim champ Christian Mbilli and Hamzah Sheeraz who will duke it out with the vacant strap on the line.

Is Crawford Beyond Caring About Alphabet Belts?

Crawford, who didn’t cough up the sanctioning fee for his 154-pound title win over Israil Madrimov, this in August of last year, or the fee for the Canelo fight, may or may be too bothered about losing the WBC belt. Crawford may well feel he is bigger than the alphabelts, his place in boxing history secure. But Suliaman is annoyed at the way his organisation has lost out on quite a few grand.

“He forgot how he got to make $50 million,” Sulaiman said, as quoted by Lance Pugmire.

We wait for news regarding what Crawford will do next, whether he will get that big return fight with Canelo or if he will do something else, with retirement a possibility.

Mbilli vs Sheeraz: A Great Style Clash for the Vacant Belt

As for Mbilli against Sheeraz, this would be a potentially great fight, with both men putting their unbeaten records on the line. Mbilli is all-action, while the huge-for-the-weight Sheeraz has been compared by some to the great Thomas Hearns.

Who wins if, most likely when, Sheeraz and Mbilli rumble some time next year?