Crawford Stripped — WBC’s Sulaiman Says No Hard Feelings

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman says there’s “no hard feelings” from his side with Terence Crawford after his organization stripped him of his super middleweight title for his failure to pay the sanctioning fee.

In an interview, Sulaiman said that Crawford made his decision, and the WBC made theirs. He didn’t want to pay the reduced $300,000 sanctioning fee for the $50 million that 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 didn’t require Crawford to pay 3% of his purse. They lowered it to 0.6%, which was 300K. When he chose not to pay that, they stripped him. In the aftermath, Terence lashed out at Sulaiman, saying these things:

“Everybody accepted what I was giving them, but you, the WBC, think that you’re better than everybody.”

What Crawford is talking about is that the IBF, WBA, and WBO apparently were willing to accept what he was willing to pay them. It’s interesting, as it means they chose to bend. If he thought the WBC would bend like them, he was met with resistance.

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

If Crawford really believes that the Ring belt is the ‘real” one, he wouldn’t have been angry. His behavior betrayed his true thoughts. For him to be so furious at losing the WBC title suggests that he does believe that the other belts matter, including the WBC.

If It Didn’t Matter, Why Rage?

Bud wouldn’t be having a temper tantrum over no longer holding that belt if he thought that the Ring belt was “the real one.”

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

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