Crawford Vacates WBO Welterweight Title, Fundora Fight Not Ordered

The WBO has announced that Terence “Bud” Crawford has officially vacated his WBO welterweight title.

This marks the end of an era, as Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) had dominated the welterweight division since 2018, when he captured the belt in his very first fight at 147 pounds by defeating Jeff Horn via TKO. Over the course of five years, Crawford defended the title seven times, with his most recent and most memorable defense coming against longtime rival Errol Spence Jr. In the highly anticipated showdown, Crawford dismantled Spence in nine rounds to become the undisputed welterweight champion, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest fighters of his generation and the welterweight king of this era.

After conquering the welterweight division and vanquishing his biggest rival, Crawford made the decision to move up to junior middleweight. In his first bout at the new weight class, Crawford faced and defeated WBA champion Israil Madrimov in a hard-fought unanimous decision. This victory not only secured Crawford the WBA title, but also the vacant WBO interim junior middleweight title. This put Crawford in line to face the full WBO junior middleweight champion, Sebastian Fundora.

The WBO had originally ordered a fight between Crawford and Fundora for the junior middleweight title earlier this year. However, Fundora, who holds the unified WBO and WBC titles, was granted a medical exemption by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after his brutal bout with Tim Tszyu in March. Fundora’s medical suspension, which extends until November, effectively put the Crawford fight on hold, leaving the future of the WBO junior middleweight title fight in limbo.

In a recent interview with The Boxing Source Podcast, Fundora’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, said that a Crawford-Fundora clash would need to happen in October to align with the WBO’s original mandatory order. With Crawford fighting just 10 days ago, an October matchup seems unlikely to take place.

It’s unclear if the bout will take place at all. Crawford’s benefactor, Turki Alalshikh, has reportedly been pushing for a high-profile bout between Crawford and WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz, with an eye towards staging the event in early 2025. Meanwhile, Fundora has been rumored to be in talks for a December fight with none other than Errol Spence Jr.

With Crawford’s move to relinquish the title, the WBO has elevated interim welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. to full champion status. Norman earned his interim title in May with a thrilling knockout victory over Giovani Santillan in what was widely regarded as one of the most exciting fights of the year.

News of Crawford’s decision to vacate was first reported by Ring Magazine’s Jake Donovan.

Sampson Lewkowicz Interview with The Boxing Source:
📺 https://youtu.be/aRcSOzEpvb0?si=Mc7UPjW_NgbjRSRn

Link to WBO Resolution:
🔗 https://www.wboboxing.com/wbo-official-documents/in-the-matter-of-the-wbo-welterweight-division/