Comments Thread For: WBC Head Disagrees With IBF Decision To Strip Title From Terence Crawford: 'As a Fan I'm Sick'

[HandsofIron]

Personally, I think boxing should do away with rematch clauses in contracts entirely

Let the the fighters work their way back up the ladder into a rematch or back into title contention. Earn it in the ring, so to speak.

[diarraisagod]

The WBC are all about the money and just about the last organisation I'd care about any judgement from.

[THC]

Forget Sulaiman.

IBF stripping Crawford was good for the sport. However, rather than bestowing the belt on Ennis, I would have preferred their top two welters fight for it. That would have given two fighters an opportunity, and more exposure to fans.

I'm OK with Crawford, or anyone else, aiming for the most lucrative, winnable fight. But belt holders being able to skirt the most difficult challenger is why this sport will never gain mass appeal, because promoters can then just host/fix garbage events for their contracted fighters.

[Warrior24_7]

Whoever thinks this is good for the sport, doesn’t know the sport. Boots didn’t even have to fight for it! They just handed it to him! Crawford should NEVER fight for this belt again! I wouldn’t. There’s no way you’re going to steal my car, then make me buy it back from you!

[Smash]

why is this clown sick? who cares about the belt, bud is not fighting the next guy in line for it would seem so the belt is meaningless to him, bud has just made 10 mil plus & wants spence or canelo next

[drablj]

it seems that you people don't understand that the alternative to this current situation was to strip spence earlier and then have ennis - karen for the vacant title. because that was totally his title fight. he was not gifted his title. you just don't follow the sport and don't know the rules. that would delay spence - crawford even more because spence wanted it to be for the undisputed. after karen, ennis would have to defend against a mandatory, then potential unification fight with spence. spence - crawford could have easily been derailed.
would any of you like aforementioned scenario? yeah, that's what i thought...

[BigJmcgirt23]

Oh the irony. So in order for Crawford to get this belt he has to agree to a contract with said belt owner that there will be a rematch clause. He agrees,he wins and then because he is honoring the contract he is stripped of the belt. Why did the IBF even sanction the fight then? Pure bull****! And if I was Boots I wouldn't even want it.

[THC]

it seems that you people don't understand that the alternative to this current situation was to strip spence earlier and then have ennis - karen for the vacant title. because that was totally his title fight. he was not gifted his title. you just don't follow the sport and don't know the rules. that would delay spence - crawford even more because spence wanted it to be for the undisputed. after karen, ennis would have to defend against a mandatory, then potential unification fight with spence. spence - crawford could have easily been derailed.
would any of you like aforementioned scenario? yeah, that's what i thought...

Count me in. If all sanctioning bodies enforced a consistent set of rules governing mandos, then do you not think we would've gotten Crawford-Spence EARLIER? If mandatories were always enforced and unification supercedes mandatories, then the only way to keep their belts while avoiding competitive challengers like Ennis would've been to fight each other, especially since that highly demanded matchup would've commanded a much larger purse for both.

Of course, if it's true that Boots never pressed the WBO to enforce his mando position against Crawford, then that's on team Ennis.

Ultimately Boots did not beat anyone in a sanctioned title fight. He now wears an IBF belt. Sounds like a gift to me. I'd be curious to know how you rationalize the opposite.

[drablj]

Count me in. If all sanctioning bodies enforced a consistent set of rules governing mandos, then do you not think we would've gotten Crawford-Spence EARLIER?

yes. sadly that's not the case. i am not some big ennis fan and i don't hate on spence and crawford. it would be the same for me if it was about shunga bunga from lesotho instead. i hate inactivity and champions fighting random opponents. you are a unified champion (2+ belts), you need to fight 2+ times a year against mandatories. you don't want that? strip season. easy. it's either that or gary russell way (1 belt, 1 fight a year vs. his mandatory).

ennis - karen was sanctioned for the ibf interim title. that's his title fight. ibf interim is not the same as wba interim which existed for years while 2 other wba champions fought in the same division. ibf's interim exists to be upgraded to full title in the near future (next couple of months, 1 year in extreme cases) if their full titlist is injured, retires, moves up or for any other reason refuses to defend against the interim one. interim title is basically an announcement "we will strip you if you don't fight this guy next AND he is our next champion by default". they do this when mandatory is overdue. i actually like this practice in this day and age.

on another note, people seem to forget this is exactly how bivol got his belt. he was wba interim champion while regular champions were cleverly and jack and super champion was ward. jack and ward vacated and bivol was promoted. nobody calls him an email champion. his title fight was vs. felix valera, a guy comparable to karen. this practice is nothing new. i am surprised that some people here call themselves fans and they don't know all these things. that's the main reason why i write, to inform people who obviously know less. i don't have a horse in any race.

[elfag]

Well Mauricio Sulaiman knows a lot about not stripping belts. Just ask Jermall, no rush or anything, just defend that belt when you get around to it, 29 months no big deal, hey you want to take a non title fight in another division thats cool we will keep your WBC middleweight belt on ice for you whenever youre ready Jermall. Maybe 2025 you can defend that title again. I mean its only been since 2021 that you last defended, no biggie.