Emailing world titles ‘a bad look for the sport’

The powers that be in boxing’s sanctioning bodies understand all that it takes for a fighter to work their way up to become a world champion. So why do they continue reducing the accomplishment by awarding world titles by email in a news release?

The WBO announced that the unbeaten, new four-division champion Terence Crawford has declared by written notice that he’s leaving the welterweight division – where he hasn’t taken a bout in more than a year. As a result, the 23-year-old interim champion Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 23 KOs) has been upgraded to full champion by virtue of his May 18 knockout of Giovanni Santillan in San Diego.

WBO 140-pound titleholder Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) has already chosen not to fight Norman – effectively saying that Norman’s status isn’t worthy of the other opponents, Crawford and IBF welterweight titlist Jaron “Boots” Ennis, that Lopez wants to fight. That leaves Norman searching for a top-15-ranked opponent who can provide him with the fulfillment of winning a title fight in the ring.

Norman’s situation was a discussion point on Tuesday’s episode of ProBox TV’s “Top Stories,” with former 140-pound titleholder Chris Algieri urging the “email champion” creation cycle to stop. 

“I can’t stand this,” Algieri said. “It hurts the credibility and it’s a really bad look for the sport. Belts are won in the ring, and an interim championship is not a world championship.”

In many cases, sanctioning bodies are reluctant to strip a popular champion who goes inactive or declines to fight his mandatory – see the cases of pound-for-pound elites Crawford and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. If you want to allege the sanctioning bodies are doing that because they don’t want to lose their three percent cut of that well-known champion’s purse, feel free.

But placing the importance on politicking over the natural order of events – such as the emergence of Norman or the deserved second title shot by the unbeaten David Benavidez at super middleweight – messes with the sport’s best interest.

“We knew Crawford would vacate,” once he was headed to his 154-pound title victory over Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3,” Algieri said. “[The interim champion] has got to [then] fight the next [contender] in line to be the champion. That will get lots of guys fighting and more fighters will get exposure.”

Instead, in this case, there hasn’t been a welterweight title fight since late July 2023, and Norman has been rebuffed by Lopez – further delaying that title fight date.

The email champions will “become more of a thing because the sanctioning bodies do not enforce their mandatories,” analyst Paulie Malignaggi said on “Top Stories.” “It used to be that if mandatories were not given a title shot in six months, they’d become champions. The only way you get rid of this is to enforce that.”

Lopez, meanwhile, has seen the 140-pound division ravaged by turnover among the belt holders, with Rolando “Rolly” Romero, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, Devin Haney and Subriel Matias all upset since late March. The new titleholders are Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela (WBA), Liam Paro (IBF) and Alberto Puello (WBC).

Balking at their name value as he returns from disappointing showings against both Jamaine Ortiz and Steve Claggett, Lopez told BoxingScene he wants to fight Crawford or Ennis – decrying that his promoter, Top Rank, is not working hard enough to get him the big fights.

“I’m the only star that they have left,” Lopez said.

Malignaggi said: “The things that [Lopez] has accomplished qualify him as a big name. Unfortunately, in this sport it’s, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ and Teofimo has been inconsistent – amazing [by beating three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko and former undisputed 140-pound champion Josh Taylor] and not so amazing.

“Trying to grab those big fish is a lot more difficult for him because the momentum he’s got is going against him, not for him. It’s difficult to get a big fight calling out big names if you’re not having those great performances.”

Algieri said those recent “duds” on Lopez’s resume counter his own belief that he’s a boxing superstar.

“He wants the toughest, biggest names possible – the status fights,” Algieri said. He wants out of 140. It’s become a topsy-turvy weight class. He doesn’t have a dance partner and he’s frustrated. When a fighter’s frustrated, they attack what’s closest – the promoter.”

If Lopez just agreed to fight the entertaining, offensive-minded Norman, that could solve both of those dilemmas.