Terence Crawford has officially given up his welterweight title with the WBA and will be keeping his recently won 154-lb belt from the same organization. As a result of Crawford’s decision, WBA ‘regular’ 147-lb champion Eimantas Stanionis has been upgraded to the new full belt-holder.
It was widely expected that Crawford would vacate his WBA 147-lb title due to a lack of top-tier opponents in the division, notably IBF champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, whom Crawford has shown no interest in fighting. After a long break, the 36-year-old Crawford returned to the ring triumphantly by defeating WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on August 3rd in Los Angeles.
Despite winning the WBA belt at 154, Crawford has not shown any desire to defend it or pursue unified matches with other champions. There is speculation that Crawford’s primary focus is on securing a fight with Canelo Alvarez, although he has not given up his WBA 154-lb title, potentially expecting lucrative offers to face Vergil Ortiz Jr. or Tim Tszyu.
Now elevated to the WBA welterweight champion position, Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) is now a key target for IBF champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and promoter Eddie Hearn for a possible unification bout. While discussions have been held between Stanionis and Hearn regarding a match with Ennis, no agreement has been reached as Stanionis is seeking a significant offer before agreeing to the fight. This stance applies similarly to WBO champion Brian Norman Jr. and WBC champion Mario Barrios.
