Terence Crawford has officially stepped away from the 154-pound division, vacating his WBO interim title. According to organization president Gustavo Olivieri, the unbeaten star won’t be returning to junior middleweight, opting instead to chase a major payday against Canelo Alvarez at 168 this September. With Crawford now 38 years old and fighting just once a year, the move appears based on maximizing earnings instead of risking a tough battle against rangy champion Sebastian Fundora.
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If the Canelo fight goes in Crawford’s favor, he could angle for a lucrative rematch at super middleweight. If not, his future remains unclear. Moving back down to 154 to face powerful, younger opponents like Fundora could be an even greater challenge.
Meanwhile, the WBO’s Olivieri suggests that Xander Zayas be made the mandatory challenger to Fundora’s title. The 22-year-old Puerto Rican prospect has been carefully matched by Top Rank and remains relatively untested in comparison to other contenders like Bakhram Murtazaliev or Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Get to know more about Terence via this link.
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