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Terence Crawford vacates WBO welterweight title; Brian Norman Jr. advances to full title roster

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Terence Crawford celebrates with his championship belts after defeating Errol Spence Jr. to win the undisputed welterweight title on July 29, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

And there was one.

The belt, I mean.

confirmed that Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford has officially relinquished his WBO welterweight title. The move comes as the four-time titleholder/three-division RING champion is pressed to decide which weight class he will remain in. Crawford (41-0, 31 knockouts) most recently dethroned WBA 154-pound titleholder Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles. That fight was also for the interim WBO junior middleweight title.

It is obvious that he will continue to weigh 154 or more and that his welterweight days are coming to an end.

“WBO President Paco Valcarcel has received an official communication from… Crawford confirming his decision that he will no longer remain at welterweight,” WBO Championship Committee Chairman Luis Batista-Salas confirmed in a ruling obtained by “Brian Norman Jr. has been promoted from the status of ‘interim champion’ to the status of ‘full champion’ in the WBO welterweight division with the rights conferred by such designation.”

Norman (26-0, 20 KOs) was promoted less than three months after winning the interim title. The 23-year-old from Conyers, Georgia, stopped Giovani Santillan in the 10th round of their May 18 fight in a battle of undefeated welterweights.

There has been no decision yet on whether Norman will be required to make an immediate mandatory title defense. He had a chance at the full crown but had to wait for Crawford-Madrimov.

The WBO agreed to let Crawford, The Ring’s No. 3 pound-for-pound contender, move up and challenge Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) at a higher weight, with the stipulation that if he dropped back down to 147, he would have to face Norman for the title.

Crawford instead followed the same path he had taken in the WBC and IBF. He became the undisputed champion with a ninth-round knockout of Errol Spence Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) on July 29 in Las Vegas. Their highly anticipated fight earned Crawford the WBC, WBA and IBF titles and defended his WBO belt. He also became the champion in a third weight class with the feat.

Five years of waiting for this moment resulted in a ponderous retirement from the welterweight division.

Crawford was stripped of his IBF title for failing to fulfill a mandated consolidation bout against Jaron “Boots” Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) last fall. The decision came after Crawford informed the sanctioning body that he was contractually obligated to a rematch with Spence.

That fight never happened, Spence never returned to the ring, and Crawford never returned to the welterweight division. Ennis was elevated to full titleholder and recently defeated David Avanesyan (30-5-1, 18 KOs) to defend his belt.

Next up was the WBC belt. Mario Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) won the interim version in a 12-round decision over Yordenis Ugas on September 30 in Las Vegas. The San Antonio native defended his second belt in a points victory over Fabian Maidana on May 4, also in Vegas. Both fights took place on a Pay-Per-View event with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in attendance.

Barrios was promoted to full WBC title holder on June 19, three weeks after Crawford formally vacated the belt.

Crawford still holds the WBA welterweight title, although the sanctioning body (usually) prohibits boxers from holding titles in two or more divisions. Exceptions are scarce, as in the case of all-time great Floyd Mayweather, who was allowed to straddle the welterweight and junior middleweight divisions.

Eimantas Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) holds the WBA “Regular” welterweight title, which he defended in a points victory over Gabriel Maestre on May 4. The fight took place on the same Alvarez-Jaime Munguia show that Barrios defeated Maidana on. There is speculation of a Stanionis-Barrios unification bout in the works. Such a fight would also require Stanionis to receive a full upgrade.

Crawford’s vacation of the WBO welterweight title ended a reign that had lasted more than six years. He won the belt in June 2018 with a ninth-round knockout of undefeated Jeff Horn. It came ten months after he fully unified the junior welterweight division. Seven successful defenses followed — all in one of eleven straight fights ending in a knockout. His early night streak ended with a points victory over Madrimov, his first since July 2016, when Crawford was forced to go on the scorecards.

A decision on Crawford’s next fight has yet to be made. It’s highly likely that he’ll next face Vergil Ortiz (22-0, 21 KOs), who dethroned interim WBC champion Serhiy Bohachuk (23-2, 22 KOs) over the weekend. Their brutal, 12-round fight is a prime candidate for 2024’s Fight of the Year.

Ringside at the show was Turki Alalshikh, whose Riyadh Season group presented Crawford-Madrimov in its U.S. debut. The outspoken figure was open about his plans for the next Crawford-Ortiz fight even before Saturday’s fight even heard the first bell.

Crawford was stripped of the RING welterweight title following his win over Madrimov. The staff decision was made based on Crawford making clear his intentions to fight at 154 or higher.

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Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC

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Badou Jack Rozicki Mikaelian WBC

The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).

If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.

“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”

29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.

Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.

“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”

Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.

The next move is Badou Jack’s.

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Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years

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Floyd Mayweather 50-0

Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.

This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.

In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.

“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.

“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.

Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.

Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.

Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.

However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.

In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.

It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.

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Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios

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Manny Pacquiao vs Barrios

WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.

Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”

WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.

Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.

As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.

However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.

Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.

Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.

Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.

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