Crawford stripped – WBC’s Sulaiman says no hard feelings

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman says there are “no hard feelings” on his part with Terence Crawford after his organization stripped him of his super middleweight title for failing to pay the sanctioning fee.

Sulaiman said in an interview that Crawford made his decision, and the WBC made theirs. He did not want to pay the reduced $300,000 sanctioning fee for the $50 million he earned for his fight against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez on September 13, 2025. So he was stripped.

Crawford wanted a free pass

Sulaiman points out that the WBC did not require Crawford to pay 3% from his wallet. They lowered it to 0.6%, which was 300K. When he chose not to pay it, they stripped him. In the aftermath, Terence Sulaiman lashed out and said these things:

“Everyone accepted what I gave them, but you, the WBC, think you are better than everyone else.”

What Crawford is talking about is that the IBF, WBA and WBO seemed willing to accept what he was willing to pay them. This is interesting because it means they chose to bend. If he thought the WBC would bend as they did, he was met with resistance.

“The real belt is the Ring belt, which is free,” said Crawford.

If Crawford really believed that the Ring belt was the ‘real’ one, he wouldn’t be mad. His behavior betrayed his true thoughts. Being so furious about losing the WBC title suggests he does believe the other belts matter, including the WBC.

If it didn’t matter, why rage?

Bud wouldn’t have a tantrum because he no longer holds that belt if he thought the Ring belt was the right one.

The reality is that the Ring belt is considered valuable for pound-for-pound status. The ones that fighters strive to get are the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO.

“It’s a decision he made. It’s a decision the WBC made. There are no hard feelings other than to wish him success,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told the media about Terence Crawford.