Boxing
Crawford still worried about WBC fees months after leaving
But boxing is not based on individual preferences. The structure is now ready.
Sanctioning authorities charge fees. Masters pay them. That’s the trade-off when it comes to keeping the belt, whether the fighters like it or not. If you want to challenge it, it’s usually before you enter the system, not after you’ve already become familiar with what’s involved.
Crawford didn’t do that for the WBC. He negotiated with and paid the three sanctioning authorities. The WBC refused to change its terms and he chose not to meet them. At the same time, he fought for the belt, posed with it and added it to his undisputed status before the holidays.
If he truly viewed the pay as “extortion,” the consistent move would have been to deny him the belt before the fight. By first taking title and then calling the fees unfair, it creates the impression that “principle” only became a priority when it was actually time to part with the cash.
Crawford admittedly planned to relinquish his titles regardless of the fee structure. He used the WBC belt to consolidate his historic position as the undisputed champion of two weight classes. Now he portrays his planned departure as a heroic defiance of a system he willingly exploited for his own legacy.
The most glaring part of this situation is the timing. Crawford didn’t just “accidentally” win the WBC belt. He aimed specifically to achieve undisputed status at 168 pounds.
By winning the belt against Canelo in September 2025, he became the first undisputed three-division champion in the four-belt era. It’s a huge, lasting addition to his legacy that the WBC has helped make.
The WBC actually reduced his pay for this fight from the standard 3% to 0.6%. Given his $50 million purse, that was a $300,000 note.
When he calls it “extortion” now, it sounds less like sticking to the rules and more like a denial from the past. He used the WBC platform to create stories, but when the invoice arrived for a service he was already using, he suddenly discovered that the system was “broken.”
“Beyond that, I’m like, man, I’ve already left them,” Crawford told Travis Hartman.
His plan to leave the club is a “smoking gun.” If he already knew he was leaving the division and would retire shortly thereafter, the belts were essentially rented out.
This puts the dispute in a different lithe. Conditions have not changed. His decision has already been made.
He didn’t lose his titles because of an unexpected change in rules or a sudden change in policy. Calling it “upholding” implies that he was fighting to change the rules, but his actions suggest that he had just finished that chapter and had no desire to pay the bill on his way out the door.
What stands out now is that he’s still talking about it months later. The fight is over. The stripes are gone. He walked away from all four titles and put himself in a position that would lead directly to a rematch with Canelo. However, the same point still appears, with the same edge. This is the part that doesn’t quite fit.
If the lane was already marked clear and the outcome was known in advance, the dispute was not a surprise. Still, he decided to go through with it. So where does this frustration come from now?
Crawford will recognize that he is not giving up. But from the outside it may look like he entered the system, accepted it where it suited him, rejected it where it didn’t work, and kept coming back to that one element that didn’t go his way.
Virginia has given World Boxing News its final answer on whether Prichard Colón’s last professional defeat can still be challenged, bringing an end to WBN’s long fight to have the result annulled and removed from his record.
WBN has pursued the possibility of changing the controversial disqualification defeat to Terrel Williams, with those efforts continuing following Colón’s death at age 33.
Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation previously explained that a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the result.
WBN pressed Eric Beidel, Communications & Digital Media Manager for the Department of Professional & Occupational Regulation, on whether any avenue remained to challenge the decision.
“And on that final question … as mentioned before, a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the results,” Beidel graciously responded after providing WBN with transparent answers throughout the investigation.
“In addition, a complaint about a regulatory violation must be filed within three years of the alleged violation.”
The Colón-Williams fight took place on October 17, 2015, meaning that deadline expired years ago.
Virginia Closes Appeal Route
Virginia’s response also addressed whether the result could instead be challenged through an appeal.
“The Administrative Process Act (APA) does create appeal rights to case decisions, but because DPOR never received a complaint in this instance, there was no case or decision that could be appealed under the APA.”
The deadline for filing a complaint about a regulatory violation has expired, while the absence of an original complaint means there is no case decision available to appeal under the APA.
For WBN, Virginia’s response ends a long fight to have the defeat annulled and removed from Colón’s professional record.
WBN’s Fight for Prichard Colón
It is no secret that WBN and Prichard were close before the most tragic night of his career ended all contact and left us on the outside for the years leading up to his death.
That never stopped WBN from reporting on Prichard, campaigning for change and hoping lessons from what happened to him could help prevent another fighter and family from enduring the same tragedy.
Virginia’s final response may end WBN’s attempts to have the result changed, but it does not end our commitment to Prichard.
Prichard Colón will not be forgotten.
WBN will continue to keep his name alive whenever and wherever possible with the WBN Boxer Pageand push to ensure his fight for life and everything that happened in its aftermath are never allowed to simply disappear from boxing’s memory.
This investigation ends here, but Prichard’s story does not.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
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