Days after getting stripped of his IBF title and subsequently losing the undisputed status at 147lbs, Terence Crawford finally broke his silence on the matter. Recently, after Errol Spence Jr. exercised the rematch clause against Crawford, the latter failed to negotiate with Jaron Ennis, a mandatory fight assigned by the IBF. As a result, the organization stripped ‘Bud’ of his belt and promoted Ennis to IBF Welterweight champion.
Following this incident, in his latest interview with Fight Hub TV, the former undisputed Welterweight champion explained what he felt about IBF’s move. In addition, he wished that the IBF stripped Spence Jr. before their fight in July.
Terence Crawford bemoans that he was stripped only two and a half months after he became undisputed
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
As per the IBF, ‘Bud’ Crawford had to negotiate with ‘Boots’ Ennis by September 24. However, since he had already signed a contract with Spence Jr., Crawford had to honor the same and prioritize the rematch with Errol. While Crawford chose Spence Jr., the IBF cited ‘Rule 3.B. Return Bouts’ which states that “No contract for a Championship contest” shall promise a boxer “a return Championship contest” which “interferes” with the mandatory title defense. At this, speaking to Fight Hub TV, Crawford answered whether or not he was frustrated.
“Man, f**k the IBF. That’s what I say. F**k IBF and they organization. I don’t give a f**k about the IBF. They stripped me damn near two and a half months after my title not knowing what was going to happen next,” said Crawford. However, he also mentioned that it was fine since he had already accomplished his goal.
“But, it’s cool though. I’m not mad at them. I got what I needed. And that was undisputed. The rest is history. I don’t care about none of that,” he continued. “I came into that fight looking to be undisputed. So, there’s nothing there for me to accomplish at that point in time. I did what I said I’d do. I came, I saw, I conquered,” Crawford added. Along these lines, ‘Bud’ wished the IBF stripped Spence Jr. before the fight happened.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Crawford claims IBF well understood he couldn’t fight ‘Boots’ right now
According to ‘Bud,’ the IBF “pick and choose.” In his opinion, since everyone knew it was a two-fight deal, ‘The Truth’ should have been stripped before the match with ‘Bud’ in July. “I feel like they should have stripped Spence prior to the fight. They knew it was a two-fight deal going into the fight. They knew I just could not get out of my contract with Spence to fight ‘Boots’,” declared Crawford whose son made him proud at a combat sports event.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Anyway, with that said, what do you make of Crawford’s statements? Do you feel the IBF should have stripped Spence Jr. ahead of the ‘Bud’ fight? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Watch This Story –Terence Crawford Vs Canelo Alvarez: Everything We Know