Terence Crawford Stripped Of IBF Belt After Failing To Stage Mandatory Defense

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Errol Spence Jr. v Terence Crawford - Weigh-in
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 28: Terence Crawford poses on the scale during the weigh-in for his title fight against Errol Spence Jr. at T-Mobile Arena on July 28, 2023. Spence Jr. and Crawford will fight for the undisputed world welterweight championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 29. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Jaron Ennis has been elevated to interim IBF welterweight champion.

Terence Crawford's historic title unification in the welterweight division has come to an end after he was stripped of his IBF title. The International Boxing Federation stripped Crawford of the belt for failing to stage a mandatory defense of the belt in question. Crawford owes Errol Spence Jr. an immediate rematch for the unification bout. However, the IBF does not recognize rematch clauses as a valid exemption to title defenses. Crawford was informed that he must fight Jaron "Boots" Ennis after his win over Spence Jr.

As a result of Crawford losing the belt, Ennis has been elevated to interim IBF welterweight champion. Ennis is 31-0 in his career but has lacked a top-flight opponent or marquee fight. That will likely change now that he is the belt holder. The IBF will likely announce a fight in the coming weeks. As mentioned, Ennis had been scheduled to be Crawford's title defense following the Spence Jr. fight. Crawford had held the IBF title since 2017, making a sole mandatory defense of the belt in 2018. His rematch with Spence Jr. is yet to be announced but it is being tentatively scheduled for next February. Furthermore, Crawford is yet to release a statement addressing the IBF's decision.

Read More: Terence Crawford Confronted Maino After Rapper Bet Against Him

IBF Eyes Fury-Usyk

However, Crawford's belt may not be the only one that the IBF will be stripping in the coming months. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are scheduled to fight their own historic unification bout in February. However, the IBF has informed both fighters that a mandatory defense of the belt against Filip Hrgović will be required after the fight, regardless of a rematch clause.

Hrgović is 16-0 and a super-heavyweight bronze medalist from the 2016 Olympics. The IBF ruled back in August that Hrgović was next in line to fight Usyk. However, that ruling was ignored in favor of the more headline-grabbing bout between Usyk and Fury. Usyk has held the IBF belt since September 2021. Furthermore, IBF President Daryl Peoples did not respond to requests for comment from ESPN over the stripping of Crawford's belt.

Read More: Terence Crawford Rejects Canelo Alvarez Fight Idea

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About The Author
Ben Mock
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.
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