Crawford-Fundora Conundrum Remains As Crawford Vacates WBA Welterweight Title

WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Terence “Bud” Crawford has vacated his WBA Welterweight title, the remaining piece of his undisputed welterweight reign. Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) won the title in his July 2023 knockout victory over Errol Spence Jr. In related news, the WBA announced that WBA World Welterweight Champion Eimantas Stanionis stands alone as its sole welterweight champion. Crawford will remain the WBA Junior Middleweight Champion.

Crawford had won the junior middleweight version of the belt via a unanimous decision victory over former champion Israil Madrimov. During that bout, Crawford also picked up the vacant WBO Interim Junior Middleweight Championship.

Earlier this week, the WBO announced that they are reordering the mandatory bout between Crawford and its full junior middleweight champion, “The Towering Inferno” Sebastian Fundora. That bout was originally ordered in March. Pursuant to an April 24 resolution in which Fundora was granted a medical exemption, the WBO stated, “Sebastian Fundora must defend his WBO Jr. Middleweight Championship against the WBO Interim Champion no later than December 31, 2024. Failure to comply with this condition will result in the WBO Jr. Middleweight Championship being declared vacant "Ipso Facto" and the WBO Interim Champion be elevated to "Full Champion" status automatically.”

Whether the bout between Crawford and Fundora actually takes place remains unclear. Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs), who also holds the WBC Junior Middleweight title, has been linked to a long rumored bout with former unified welterweight champion, Errol Spence Jr. That bout has been earmarked for a December 14 PBC on Prime PPV event. Crawford has his sights set on a bout with unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, according to Turki Alalshikh, Crawford’s Riyadh Season benefactor. The sides have until a September 27 purse bid to reach an agreement for the bout. If either side refuses to comply with the order, they will be required to relinquish their respective version of the WBO title.

In an interview with The Boxing Source, Fundora’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz indicated that he is on board with the Crawford-Fundora bout. However, he was insistent upon an October deadline for it to take place. Crawford, who last fought August 3, was unlikely to return in October. It remains to be seen if he will return before the December 31 deadline. While he has previously expressed interest in a Fundora unification bout, Crawford has not fought more than once in a calendar year since 2019.