The WBC has made Terence Crawford welterweight ‘Champion in Recess,’ provided that he’s transferring as much as 154 to problem WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on August third for his belt and the WBO interim title.
Additionally, the Crawford vs. Madrimov struggle will likely be a WBC 154-lb last eliminator, with the winner being obligatory for the October struggle between WBC/WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora and Errol Spence Jr.
Crawford’s Triple Crown Dream: A 154-lb Fantasy?
If all the things works out properly for Crawford, he may maintain three titles at 154 by successful simply two fights. A type of contests may contain a profitable rematch for Crawford in opposition to Spence if Errol defeats WBC/WBO 154-lb champion Fundora in October.
Crawford will get a large payday in a rematch with Spence if he’s coming off a victory over Fundora.
A Potential Crawford vs. Spence Rematch
If Spence doesn’t retire after the Fundora struggle, which he’s already hinted about doing, we may see him and Crawford assembly in a large PPV rematch with three belts at stake.
If Crawford wins these two fights, he’ll want solely the IBF belt held by Bakhram Murtazaliev to grow to be the undisputed junior middleweight champion.
In fact, it’s not a provided that Crawford beats WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov as a result of he’s not fought at 154, he’s getting outdated, and he solely fights every year. Crawford struggled because it was to beat Shawn Porter and David Avanesyan. Madrimov is on one other degree from these guys, and he may expose Crawford as being an outdated hype job, not what followers had thought he was.
The WBC’s Choice: ‘Champion in Recess’ As a substitute of Stripping
The logical query is, why isn’t the World Boxing Council stripping Crawford of his WBC welterweight belt reasonably than giving him the ‘Champion in Recess’ designation? Within the outdated days, the sanctioning our bodies would strip champions after they moved up in weight to struggle for belts, particularly after they had no intention of returning to the division.
In Crawford’s case, the WBC retains his foot within the door by giving him the ‘Champion in Recess’ tag at 147, that means he can return at any time to struggle who the champion is.
Mario Barrios is the WBC interim welterweight champion and can both be emailed full championship standing or will struggle for the belt. I feel the WBC will elevate Barrios to full champion by electronic mail.
Crawford’s Potential Return to Welterweight: The Haney Issue
The probably solely means Crawford will return to welterweight to struggle for the WBC belt is that if Devin Haney strikes up and will get his palms on the title. Haney is a simple mark, a smooth goal, however standard sufficient for Crawford to make good cash combating him on PPV.
Barrios isn’t standard sufficient to entice Crawford to come back again to 147, and the Nebraska native actually isn’t going to come back again right down to struggle Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis if he’s the one one which snatches the WBC welterweight belt. Boots is sort of a youthful, stronger, and higher model of Crawford, and he would wreck the soon-to-be 37-year-old once-a-year fighter.
