Another welterweight title has been removed from the divisional king.

Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford was downgraded to WBC ‘Champion in Recess,’ the sanctioning body confirmed Monday. The decision was made given the inactivity at the weight for The Ring 147-pound champ, who will next fight at 154.

“The WBC Board of Governors has voted in favor to accept our proud WBC welterweight champion, Terence Crawford, to be placed as champion in recess in the welterweight division,” the WBC noted in a press statement.  “Terence Crawford conquered the WBC Welterweight championship with a spectacular performance knocking out previously undefeated [Errol] Spence on July 29th, 2023.

“Crawford will fight on august 3rd at the BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, California, in the debut promotion of Riyadh Season in the United States. His upcoming fight will be at Super welterweight against Israil Madrimov.”

Crawford (40-0-1, 31 knockouts) holds The Ring 147-pound crown and is No. 3 pound-for-pound. Uzbekistan’s Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) is rated No. 3 at 154 by The Ring.

The sport’s most uptight traditionalists will likely use this decision to further denounce the sanctioning bodies. However, Crawford has not fought since his July 29 triumph over Errol Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) to fully unify the division. He was since stripped of the IBF belt for failure to defend versus Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs).

The WBC and WBO already scheduled interim title fights in anticipation of Crawford’s eventual divisional departure.

Mario Barrios (28-2, 18 KOs) outpointed former WBA titlist Yordenis Ugas last Sept. 30 to win the interim WBC belt. He defended it in a twelve-round decision over Fabian Maidana on May 4 in Las Vegas.

Interestingly, Monday’s news did not specify whether the San Antonio native would be elevated to full titleholder.

Brian Norman (26-0, 20 KOs) claimed the interim WBO belt two weeks later. The one-time Crawford sparring partner knocked out Giovani Santillan in the tenth round on May 18 in San Diego. Their bout came with the understanding that Crawford will enter his bout versus Madrimov as the full WBO titleholder.

The moves have not completely left Crawford out in the cold. In fact, the sanctioning bodies are bending over backwards to remain in business with the unbeaten three-division champ.

Madrimov’s WBA belt is at stake on Aug. 3, in addition to the interim WBO 154-pound title—for now. The WBO will vote on whether to strip Sebastian Fundora of the full belt. Fundora was granted a medical exception on the condition he honors his mandatory by Dec. 31. He will instead face Spence in October and likely for just the WBC title.

Crawford could be in line to next challenge for that belt as well. The WBC agreed to sanction Madrimov-Crawford as a final eliminator, despite two other titles already on the line. With a win, he will then have to inform the WBC at which weight he next plans to compete.

That same scenario will also prompt a decision from the WBA, since Crawford would have titles at both weights. Eimantas Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs), The Ring’s No. 3-rated welterweight, currently holds the WBA ‘Regular’ title.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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