Jose Armando Resendiz has been elevated to full WBA super middleweight champion following the retirement of Terence Crawford, who formally relinquished his remaining titles when he retired from boxing last month.
Crawford vacates the title upon retirement
The update has been confirmed by The Ring Magazinewhich reported that Crawford had vacated the WBA’s 168-pound title as part of his retirement on December 17, 2025. Crawford leaves the sport at 38 with an undefeated record and championships across five weight classes, ending a career widely regarded as one of the most complete of the modern era.
With the title vacant, the WBA moved to upgrade Resendiz from interim to full champion. The 28-year-old Mexican earned interim status in May 2025 with a unanimous decision victory over Caleb Plant, a result that upset the established order at super middleweight and positioned Resendiz as a credible presence in the division’s upper echelon.
The upgrade does not change Resendiz’s immediate schedule. He is already set to defend the belt against Edgar Berlanga on February 21, 2026 in Las Vegas. What changes is the framework. The fight now carries the designation of a full world title defense rather than an interim holdover.
Questions about title legitimacy at Super Middleweight
Reaction to the move was predictable. Some fans have criticized the WBA’s reliance on administrative promotions rather than in-ring consolidation, questioning how much weight the title carries without a direct championship fight. Others have focused on what the decision unlocks, noting that the super middleweight division remains crowded and commercially driven, with figures like Canelo Alvarez continuing to shape the landscape from the top.
For Resendiz, the belt is official. The test ahead is less about paperwork and more about opponents. How the title is viewed will depend on what comes next for Berlanga, and whether Resendiz is positioned against the division’s defining names rather than protecting against them.
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Last updated on 01/01/2026
