Terence Crawford was stripped of his WBC super middleweight title because the WBC said he failed to pay the required sanctioning fees for his last two fights, including his historic win over Canelo Álvarez.

What actually happened

  • After Crawford beat Canelo Álvarez and became undisputed at 168 lbs, the WBC later ruled that he had not paid their sanctioning fee for that bout or the previous one.
  • WBC president Mauricio SulaimĂĄn confirmed at the WBC convention that this non‑payment was the official reason for stripping him of the belt and declaring the title vacant.

The “unusual” part

  • Reports note the fee was around 0.6% of his reported $50 million Canelo purse (about $300,000), which the WBC say was already a discounted rate from their normal 3%.
  • Because sanctioning fees are a standard (if controversial) part of title fights, media framed the situation as an “unusual” or harsh way to lose a belt so soon after a career‑defining win.

Impact on Crawford’s status

  • Being stripped of the WBC belt means he is no longer recognized as undisputed super middleweight champion, since one of the four major titles at 168 is now vacant.
  • The WBC moved on by ordering Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Christian Mbilli for the now‑vacant title, effectively resetting their version of the championship without Crawford.

How forums and fans are reacting

  • Many boxing fans see this as classic sanctioning‑body politics: some side with Crawford, arguing star fighters should have more leverage over fees.
  • Others argue that, like it or not, paying sanctioning fees is part of the deal for holding these belts, so the WBC’s move technically follows their own rules even if it feels petty.

TL;DR: Terence Crawford was stripped because the WBC says he did not pay their sanctioning fees for his last two fights, including the Canelo bout, so they declared the WBC 168‑lb title vacant and moved on with other contenders.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.