WBC Downgrades Terence Crawford to Welterweight Champion in Recess

Terence Crawford’s days at welterweight appear to be numbered, and sanctioning bodies seem to feel the same way, too.

On Monday, the WBC downgraded the former undisputed 147-pound titleholder to “champion in recess.”

Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) has not fought since dominating Errol Spence Jr. in a ninth-round stoppage last July for all of the division’s titles.

The Nebraska native Crawford’s next fight is scheduled for Aug. 3 at 154 pounds, against WBA titleholder Israil Madrimov. A WBO interim belt will also be on the line, and by the time the fight takes place, it could be for the full belt, as current champion Sebastian Fundora (who also holds the WBC junior middleweight title) is expected to be stripped of his WBO status as he eyes a showdown against Spence instead of moving forward with his mandatory fight.

“The WBC Board of Governors has voted in favor of accepting our proud WBC welterweight champion, Terence Crawford, to be placed as champion in recess in the welterweight division,” the WBC said in a statement. “The WBC Board also voted in favor of officially sanctioning Crawford vs. Madrimov as a final elimination bout for the mandatory position in the super welterweight division. Terence Crawford will inform the WBC which division he wishes to compete in after the August fight.”

The WBC did not outline the next steps for its current interim welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios, who earned the belt in September during a unanimous decision win against Yordenis Ugas. Barrios defended his interim title against Fabian Maidana in May. 

Crawford, 36, has fought as a welterweight since 2018 and maintained that a move to 154 pounds was imminent.  

In November, the IBF stripped Crawford of his title and elevated Jaron Ennis to its titleholder.

Last week, Brian Norman knocked out Giovanni Santillan and was awarded the WBO interim welterweight title.

Eimantas Stanionis is currently the WBA “regular” welterweight titlist, and the sanctioning body is the next organization set to make their ruling around Crawford’s status as division titleholder.

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.