Terence Crawford Officially Vacates WBA Belt, Handing The Title To Abass Baraou And Focusing On 168-lb Reign

Terence Crawford has officially vacated his WBA junior middleweight title, and interim champion Abass Baraou has been elevated to the new champion status.

This move by Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) comes after his victory over undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez last Saturday, September 13, 2025, in Las Vegas.

Keeping Belts as Canelo Bait

It was a situation where Crawford, 37, had to decide which of the titles to hold onto from the 154 and 168. Considering that he’s likely still holding out hope for a lucrative rematch against Canelo, it made sense for him to hold onto his four super middleweight titles to use as a fishbait for the Mexican superstar.

Dismissing the Benavidez Option

That’s pretty much the only reason why Crawford should want to hold onto the 168-lb belts, as he’s already dismissed the idea of defending against David Benavidez. That would likely be the second-largest payday available, behind a rematch with Canelo, if Turki Alalshikh chooses to go in that direction.

It’s a lot of money that would need to be invested by Turki for a Canelo-Crawford rematch; the fight provided very little entertainment value last Saturday, and was one of the dullest on the card. It may not be worth it because both underperformed and looked their ages in their superfight.

Crawford isn’t expected to defend his undisputed super middleweight championship against any of the other contenders at 168, aside from #1 WBC-ranked Canelo.

An Unappealing “Old Timer’s Fight”

Moreover, there’s no real drama in a second fight. Neither of them is going to drink from the Fountain of Youth, truth to regain their form from 10 years ago. Turki would be paying for an old timer’s fight if he puts on a second one.

“Official: Terence Crawford has vacated the Super Welterweight crown [154-lb] WBA and Baraou Abass is elevated to regular champion. Crawford now holds all the Super Middleweight titles 👑👑👑,” said Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN Knockout today.

Abass Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) won the WBA interim junior middleweight title last month on August 23, defeating Yoenis Tellez by a 12-round unanimous decision in Orlando, Florida. The scores were 117-110, 115-112, and 116-111.

Tellez-Baraou Punch Stats

• Baraou: 160 landed of 718 punches for 22.28% connect rate
• Tellez: 130 of 666 for 19.52%

Baraou wants all the big fights now that he holds the WBA title, and he could begin getting them soon. His #1-ranked contender is Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, who is making his debut at 154 next month against Uisma Lima on October 11. Depending on whether Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, is on board with him challenging for the WBA title, Baraou could get his first big name.