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Terence Crawford has been stripped of his IBF title due to his planned rematch with Errol Spence Jr.
'Bud' and 'The Truth' faced off in late July on Showtime pay-per-view. Both men entered the matchup undefeated champions, in a battle that fans had wanted to see for years. However, the bout itself was anything but competitive.
On fight night, Crawford knocked down Spence Jr. several times, eventually winning by ninth-round stoppage. Despite the lopsided nature of the bout, the loser activated his rematch clause to run it back. As of now, the bout hasn't been booked, but is expected for early 2024.
Because of that rematch, Terence Crawford has been stripped of his IBF belt. In late August, the sanctioning body ordered the welterweight champion to fight Jaron Ennis. 'Boots' has held the IBF interim welterweight title since January.
The IBF gave the two a full month to start talks and reach terms on a fight. However, due to Crawford's activated rematch clause with Spence Jr., he has a legal obligation to fight him. Some sanctioning bodies do allow for a contractual rematch as an exception to a mandatory defense.
However, that's not the case for the IBF. As a result, Crawford is no longer the IBF champion, and Ennis has been upgraded from being the interim titleholder.
Terence Crawford stripped: 'Bud' reacts after losing IBF title
It's safe to say that Terence Crawford doesn't mind moving his belt.
'Bud' made history with that knockout win over Errol Spence Jr. earlier this year. In the process, he became the division's first-ever four-belt holder and the first undisputed welterweight champion in a long, long time.
Furthermore, Crawford made history as the first male boxer ever to become undisputed in a second weight class. Furthermore, he's made it clear that he's not done there and plans to move up and challenge Canelo Alvarez for more gold in 2024.
With all that in mind, it seems that Terence Crawford doesn't care too much about the IBF's decision. On X, 'Bud' stated that he is a trendsetter for making history in July and is seemingly more focused on the good times than the bad:
"Before anyone but 2 fighters in the four belt era knew what undisputed looked like. I just showed up like this! #trendsetter"
