Boxing
Mauricio Sulaiman claims that Crawford knew in advance that he would have to pay $300,000. dollars fee for WBC
Mauricio Sulaiman says Terence Crawford was aware of the WBC’s reported $300,000 penalty charge long before his undisputed fight against Canelo Alvarez last September, providing a different version of the recent dispute over the champion’s title costs
The WBC president addressed the issue during a recent interview after Crawford publicly questioned why the organization would not honor terms that he believed had been accepted by other sanctioning bodies. Sulaiman said the amount had already been communicated in advance and was not a surprise once the fight was finalized.
“He knew well in advance what the WBC estimated for this particular fight and it was supposedly 300,000. That was the upper limit,” Ring Champs said of Crawford before his fight with Canelo.
Sulaiman added that this amount is lower than the percentage the organization says it can collect under its regulations. He said the WBC capped the fee rather than applying the full rate.
The dispute became a topic of discussion after Crawford publicly responded to previous comments related to the sanctions process. Sulaiman avoided escalating the exchange, saying he did not want to personally criticize Crawford.
“I’m not going to talk bad about Crawford,” Sulaiman said.
He also said that fighters and promoters receive contracts and terms before title fights are approved, describing the process as standard practice and not something created for a single event.
“There are contracts. When you as a promoter give in and get sanctioned, there are rules,” Sulaiman said.
When a player earns tens of millions, the standard 3% suddenly becomes sedate money, and that’s when the backlash usually begins.
The comments highlight a long-standing problem in boxing, where sanction fees are often accepted during negotiations but become controversial when vast funds are involved. Huge fights usually reveal how much power the belts still carry.
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Last updated: 25/04/2026 at 18:31
Just a few years ago, opening the door to the third fight between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk seemed unrealistic. Now it seems possible, even after two defeats and the friendship that has developed between the pair outside the ring.
That shift became more pronounced this week when promoter Eddie Hearn admitted Joshua would still “love” another chance to fight Usyk, despite losing twice to the Ukrainian southerner in 2021 and 2022. Historically, a heavyweight rivalry rarely continues after one fighter wins his first two fights cleanly. Boxing usually goes further. This situation seems to be heading in the opposite direction.
Joshua (29-4, 26 KO) has spent recent years rebuilding his career and public standing after successive defeats to Usyk. During this time, the relationship between the two heavyweights changed completely. They trained together, appeared publicly comfortable in each other’s company and shed the bitterness that often accompanies major heavyweight rivalries.
This, among other things, is what makes Hearn’s comments extraordinary.
“I don’t think so,” Hearn said this week when asked whether Joshua’s friendship with Usyk would stop another fight. “But boxing is a humorous venerable game. Part of AJ always wants to fight Usyk because he has been beaten twice. Same with Fury. They are competitors. They want to try to fight him again.”
The heavyweight division began to operate under different rules during the Saudi era. Awareness and commercial value now carry almost as much weight as unfinished competitive business. Tyson Fury is also openly seeking a third fight with Usyk, even though he has lost twice.
In previous eras, a fighter who lost two title fights in a row to the same opponent would usually end the chapter. Joshua-Usyk III would completely reverse this logic. Instead of competitive tension driving demand, it would be legacy and personal redemption.
Joshua still has something to work on before the discussion becomes stern. He returns in July against Kristian Prengi before an expected showdown with Fury later this year. Hearn made it clear that the immediate focus would be on these two fights.
“His ultimate goal is to win the heavyweight championship of the world again,” Hearn said. “I want to beat Tyson Fury and win the world heavyweight championship again.”
However, the idea is still hanging. Not long ago, the sight of Joshua running alongside Usyk on the beach would have seemed impossible. Now there’s a possibility that two fighters who became training partners after a one-sided rivalry will end up sharing the ring for a third time anyway.
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