Sulaiman Calls Crawford Retirement ‘Cowardly’ Amid Ongoing WBC Dispute

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has labelled Terence Crawford’s decision to retire as “cowardly,” continuing a public dispute that has been ongoing since December following Crawford’s undisputed super middleweight win and subsequent title stripping.

Sulaiman made the remarks while discussing potential opponents for Canelo Alvarez, naming David Benavidez and Jermall Charlo, and also raising the possibility of a rematch with Crawford, whom he again described as having “retired cowardly.” The comments come despite Crawford’s standing as a five-weight world champion who stepped up two divisions after just one fight at 154lbs to face Alvarez.

Crawford’s final bout came on September 13, 2025, when he defeated Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision to become the undisputed super middleweight champion. The victory followed his August 3, 2024 win over Israil Madrimov at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, where he secured the WBA World Super Welterweight and WBO Interim World Junior Middleweight titles. After claiming belts at 154lbs, Crawford did not return to the division to defend them or pursue his WBC mandatory position.

The dispute with the WBC escalated weeks before Crawford’s retirement, when he was stripped of his super middleweight title at 168 pounds due to failure to pay sanctioning fees for his last two fights. The organisation had previously informed Crawford of his non-compliance regarding unpaid fees tied to his bouts against Madrimov and Saul Alvarez. Sulaiman confirmed the Madrimov fight had been sanctioned as a WBC title eliminator at Crawford’s request, and that no payment was made.

Sulaiman stated the WBC initiated action after sending multiple communications to Crawford, his manager, and legal counsel, none of which received a response. He also said attempts were made to reduce the sanctioning fee for the Alvarez fight from 3% to 0.6%, but those efforts went unacknowledged. According to Sulaiman, Crawford had been a champion for 12 years and was aware he was competing for undisputed recognition under standard rules requiring payment.

Crawford publicly rejected the WBC’s position after being stripped, refusing to pay the reported $300,000 plus additional fees and challenging the organisation’s standing relative to other sanctioning bodies. He stated: “The WBO, IBF, and WBA all accepted my payments.” Crawford dismissed the significance of the WBC’s green belt and argued that fighters, who risk their lives in the ring, should be compensated by sanctioning bodies rather than paying fees to hold titles.

He also criticised how those fees are used, citing “lavish expenses, including flights, hotel suites, and five-star meals, for sanctioning body officials.” Zuffa Boxing’s Nick Khan supported that criticism, alleging that the WBC leadership requested a hotel suite and front-row tickets for the Alvarez fight, describing it as “quite odd” for a governing body. Sulaiman, meanwhile, claimed Crawford earned approximately $50 million for the bout.

Julie Goldsticker, Crawford’s publicist, responded to Sulaiman’s remarks, stating that if the sport tolerates a sanctioning body president calling a champion a coward for retiring, it is in a dire state.

The criticism adds to wider concerns raised about sanctioning bodies, which have long been accused of contributing to division and confusion across the sport.