Terence Crawford stripped of title of absolute world champion

The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has officially stripped American boxer Terence Crawford of the world championship title in the welterweight division.

After Crawford's victory over Errol Spence in July, where he unified all four belts by adding Spence's IBF, WBA, and WBC titles to his own WBO belt, the organization mandated Crawford to commence negotiations with Jaron Ennis, the mandatory challenger. However, Crawford's contract included a clause for a rematch with the former champion, a condition that Crawford's representative informed IBF about in September.

According to ESPN reports, on Thursday, the IBF stripped Terence Crawford of the title, appointing Jaron Ennis as the interim titleholder.

At 36 years old, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) ceased to be the undisputed world champion in the welterweight division due to this decision. He remains in possession of the WBO, WBA, and WBC belts.

Terence Crawford was recognized as the best boxer across weight divisions by The Ring, BoxRec, and ESPN. Previously, Alexander Usyk, the world champion in the WBO, WBA, IBF, and IBO versions, relinquished his top spot in the P4P rankings to Crawford.

The rematch between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence, initially scheduled for December, is now reported to take place in February 2024.