The WBO president, Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. revealed that Terence Crawford “won’t return to 154” and will likely be vacating his interim belt with that organization.
It’s a move that was expected by Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) because he’s making loads of money, difficult Canelo Alvarez for his titles at super middleweight on September thirteenth.
Crawford’s Exit
After that payday, Crawford, 38, could be taking a large pay cut to return to 154 to fight the present champion, Sebastian Fundora, in a match that will involve loads of risk for him as a consequence of his lack of size and advanced age.
Returning to 154 to fight younger fighters with size and talent could be difficult for Crawford, who only fights annually. By the point he returns after his victory lap or crushing defeat from the Alvarez fight, he’ll be 39 years old, and you possibly can’t expect him to fight the 6’5 1/2″ stork Fundora.
It’s unclear what Crawford will do after his fight with Canelo. Obviously, he’s counting on defeating Canelo and getting a lucrative rematch. That may be the best situation for the Nebraska native Crawford. Nonetheless, if he loses to Canelo, it’ll be interesting to see if he chooses to remain at 168, return to 154, or retire.
He can still make huge money fighting on the Riyadh Season events in the event that they need to use him for fights. They appear to be keen on Crawford. So, he should still be useful if matched rigorously. You couldn’t match Crawford against any of the larger fighters like David Benavidez or David Morrell because he’d get chopped up as a consequence of their size, power, and youth, but he’d do well against someone like Edgar Berlanga.
Olivieri recommends that #1 WBO 154-lb contender Xander Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) be made mandatory to champion Sebastian Fundora. If that happens, the winner of Saturday’s fight between WBC/WBO Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) and Chordale Booker may have 120 days to defend against the Top Rank-promoted Zayas.
Top Rank has protected the 22-year-old Xander Zayas the identical way they shielded Berlanga when he was with them. So, it’s hard to know if he’s any good or not. His opposition has been so awful that there’s no way of knowing if he’s a hype job like Berlanga or has actual talent.
Re: WBO Jr.
Middleweight Division (154 lbs.)1. We have now confirmed Terence Crawford won’t return to the 154 lbs., division & will relinquish his Interim WBO title upon the official announcement of Canelo/Crawford. Due to this fact, his mandatory challenger status is moot. /
— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) March 21, 2025
Last Updated on 03/21/2025
