Terence Crawford Vacates His WBO 147 Belt – ‘What’s Next?’
Terence Crawford has vacated his WBO Welterweight Title, making Brian Norman Jr. the full champion.
The news comes just as Crawford became a four-division champion after beating Israil Madrimov in his first fight at junior middleweight. The win made him the WBA champion, solidifying his future at 154 pounds. This means that Crawford only has the WBA belt at 147, having become the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion when he stopped Errol Spence Jr. last year.
Jaron Ennis is now one of the leading contenders to box Norman Jr. for the WBO belt in a unification since he holds the IBF belt. That would allow Ennis to pursue his goal of becoming undisputed rather than moving up to 154 to chase Crawford, who is unlikely to take the fight since Boots offers no belts.
Crawford Vacates
“WBO President Paco Valcarcel received official communication from… Crawford confirming his decision that he will no longer stay in the welterweight division/ Brian Norman, Jr., is elevated from “Interim Champion” to “Full Champion” status in the WBO Welterweight Division with the rights conferred by such designation,” Luis Batista-Salas (WBO Championship Committee chairman)
Crawford can now focus on his next steps. He had been chasing the Canelo Alvarez fight, even calling out the Mexican after his win over Madrimov. However, that fight appears unlikely. Canelo has distanced himself from it.
He was contacted by the Saudis, who wanted to make the fight happen. However, it did not go down well, as Canelo felt it was disrespectful to talk about that fight while preparing for Berlanga. He also made it clear that he had no intention of fighting Crawford, as it does nothing for his legacy.
What’s Next?
Crawford can now pursue a unification at 154 pounds against Sebastian Fundora. But that will not be next after reports that Fundora will box Errol Spence Jr. next, meaning there could be a Spence rematch if the results pan out the right way. Bud has been linked with the Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight.
Ortiz called him out after defeating Serhii Bohachuk in a controversial majority decision. Despite getting dropped twice, Ortiz rallied late on to secure the win. The Saudis are reportedly working on that fight, with Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda being a possible chief support fight. Oscar De La Hoya is keen to make that fight happen next.
“We just discussed it with His Excellency, and if that’s what Vergil wants, then that’s what we’re going to get him. Everything is up in the air. Vergil is in the hospital. Bohachuk is in the hospital. Let’s respect that. Once they get better, we’ll discuss it again and make something happen. He’s [Ortiz] okay. They’re both okay. They’re hurt. It’s literally like the Rocky movie. Apollo Creed and Sylvester Stallone in the hospital. It was a tough fight. Let’s let them rest, and then we’ll reconvene,” De La Hoya said
The fight could appeal to Crawford as Ortiz is an undefeated KO artist who has stopped everyone except Bohachuk. Ortiz is also the WBC Interim Junior Middleweight Champion, thus making Crawford mandatory for Fundora if he wins. Based on Ortiz’s performances, Bud will fancy his chances.
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