Terence Crawford's tenure at welterweight appears to be winding down, and the sanctioning bodies are responding accordingly as on Monday, the WBC officially downgraded the former undisputed 147-pound champion to "champion in recess."
Crawford, who hasn't fought since his dominant ninth-round stoppage of Errol Spence Jr. last July, is set to move up to 154 pounds for his next fight. He will face WBA titleholder Israil Madrimov on August 3rd, with a WBO interim belt also on the line. This bout could potentially be for the WBO championship title, as current champion Sebastian Fundora may be stripped of his status if he pursues a fight with Spence instead of his mandatory defense.
"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."
WBC also announced that the Crawford vs. Madrimov fight would be sanctioned as a final elimination bout for the mandatory position in the super welterweight division. Crawford will decide which division he will compete in after the August fight.
The WBC has not yet clarified the next steps for its interim welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios, who won the belt in September by defeating Yordenis Ugas and defended it against Fabian Maidana in May.
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Crawford, 36, has been fighting as a welterweight since 2018 and has hinted at moving up to 154 pounds for some time. In November, the IBF stripped Crawford of his title, promoting Jaron Ennis to champion. Recently, Brian Norman was awarded the WBO interim welterweight title after knocking out Giovanni Santillan, and Eimantas Stanionis holds the WBA “regular” welterweight title. The WBA is next in line to make a ruling on Crawford’s status within their organization.
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