Terence Crawford is getting royally roasted by fans on social media today after he chose not to 0.6% sanction fee for the WBC 168-lb belt, for the enormous $50 million he was paid by Turki Alalshikh for his fight against Canelo Alvarez on September 13.
$300K that a WBC belt cost
Fans view Crawford’s failure to pay the WBC’s $300,000 sanctioning fee as sheer greed on his part, as this amount would be a drop in the bucket from the $50 million purse he was paid. With all the loot Crawford made, couldn’t he have at least paid his bills?
Canelo Rematch Value Drops
Losing that title means the 38-year-old Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) is no longer the undisputed super middleweight champion. That takes a lot of the marketing value away from a rematch with Canelo or a title defense against a talented contender. If there is a second fight, it’s not going to be for the undisputed.
Plus, fans aren’t going to be sold on this being ‘The Fight of the Century’ trash again, not after how boring their first fight was last September. Crawford played it safe for 12 rounds, using his hit-and-don’t-hit style, just stealing the payday without putting his skin on the line by going to war.
Terence hid in the foxhole the entire fight, not even willing to earn the $50 million Turki paid him. Where was the fault on his part? Now, not paying the sanctioning fee to the WBC, what does that tell you?
It appeared to fans as a cheap move on Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford’s part, as he was well aware of the rules for belt holders regarding sanction fees. As a 17-year-old pro, he knew he had to pay sanctioning fees.
Ring title is not enough
“That’s why the Ring Magazine Championship is the only one that really matters. No sanctioning fees, just to recognize the best. And Bud is still the Ring Magazine Champion at 168,” says Mike Coppinger X.
The problem with Coppinger is that there are too many fighters who care more about the other belts than the Ring title. The WBC is one of the most prestigious boxing titles. If Crawford didn’t want to pay for the sanction fees, he should have turned down the fight or told Turki he wouldn’t face Canelo unless the belt was on the line.
It seems bad to have his WBC title stripped rather than pay what would have been a small sum given all the spoils Turki paid him.
Last updated on 12/03/2025
