Abel Sanchez blasts Crawford over WBC fee dispute

The undisputed selling point

The whole marketing angle that was part of the selling point for the Canelo-Crawford fight, with it being for the undisputed 168-lb championship, wouldn’t have happened.

“The reason he got a chance to fight for that kind of money is because the organizations rated him and he was given opportunities to fight for a title,” trainer Abel Sanchez said. Fight Hub TVtalking about Terence Crawford.

Bud’s Ring Belt Comment

Terence’s statement after being stripped of his WBC title says the Ring belt is the “only one that really matters”, suggesting that he only cares about it. Despite that, he still wanted to fight for the undisputed championship, and did not tell the WBC that he would not pay ahead of time.

When they stripped him, he made a big production about it and complained as if they were wrong instead of himself. It made no sense. For a fighter almost 40 years old and with 17 years in the pros to be surprised by sanction fees, this is surprising.

“He became famous because of the organizations. If he said at the beginning of his career: ‘I’m never going to pay fines.’ Do you think anyone will ever know him outside his hometown?” Abel said of Crawford.

Abel is right. If Crawford had said from the start of his career that he would never pay a sanction fee, he would not have won two division world titles. He would be a career-long contender, and he wouldn’t have gotten the opportunities to fight guys like Errol Spence, Canelo, and Ricky Burns.

Sanchez Questions Hon

“I think it’s not too honorable not to pay what he agreed to before the fight (against Canelo). If he had said before the fight, ‘I’m not going to pay,’ the WBC would not have sanctioned the fight. But he agreed to pay. He agreed to that amount.”

$300K vs a $50M payday

Crawford was reportedly paid $50 million for the fight with Canelo. It was clear in hindsight that a rematch was likely to happen, giving him another big payday. The $300,000 sanctioning fee the WBC asked for was very little compared to what he made. It would have been worth it for Crawford to pay as he would still have all four titles in his possession for the rematch with Alvarez.

“I think it’s a shame he doesn’t,” Sanchez said of Crawford’s decision not to pay the sanctioning fee.