Terence Crawford is an American professional boxer
Terence Crawford’s historic victory over Canelo Álvarez has been overshadowed by a major setback, after the American boxer was stripped of his WBC super-middleweight title.
Crawford made headlines in September when he moved up two weight divisions to defeat Álvarez in a blockbuster bout streamed globally on Netflix, becoming undisputed champion at 168 pounds and unifying a third weight class. The win was widely regarded as one of the standout performances of 2025.
However, on December 3, the WBC confirmed that Crawford had been stripped of the belt for failing to pay sanctioning fees for his last two fights—his victory over Álvarez and his 2024 bout against Israil Madrimov. The decision ends Crawford’s short-lived status as undisputed champion at super middleweight.
Following the ruling, the WBC announced that interim champion Christian Mbilli will face Hamzah Sheeraz for the now-vacant title. No date has been set for the matchup.
Mbilli, who fought Lester Martinez to a draw on the Crawford–Álvarez undercard, enters the fight with a record of 29-0-1. Sheeraz, meanwhile, is coming off a fifth-round knockout win over Edgar Berlanga and holds a 22-0-1 record.
The WBC also confirmed that Martinez, currently 19-0-1, has been designated the division’s No. 1 contender.
Crawford’s next move remains uncertain. He had been linked to a potential bout with the winner of the planned middleweight unification fight between Erislandy Lara and Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, scheduled for December 6. But Alimkhanuly’s withdrawal due to a positive drug test has forced Lara to instead defend his WBA middleweight title against Johan Gonzalez, eliminating the possibility of a unification clash.
