Notebook: Crawford vacates WBO 147 title, major fights at 154 await
Norman elevated from interim to full titleholder; Donaire-Chocolatito no go; Bakole's future is bright after knocking out Anderson; Quick hits; Show and tell
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With Terence Crawford done competing as a welterweight, where he became the first four-belt undisputed champion 13 months ago in a one-sided ninth-round knockout of Errol Spence Jr. in their long-awaited summit meeting, it was only a matter of time until he was stripped or vacated the titles as is typically the case for undisputed champions.
On Monday, Crawford vacated the WBO 147-pound crown, notifying the organization that he would no longer compete in the division.
Crawford’s decision came a little over a week after he moved up to junior middleweight and narrowly outpointed Israil Madrimov 116-112 and 115-113 twice to win the WBA title and the WBO interim belt at 154 pounds on Aug. 3 in the main event of the Riyadh Season pay-per-view card at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), 36, of Omaha, Nebraska, who became a four-division champion and is viewed by many as the pound-for-pound king, will now look forward to major fights in the deep junior middleweight division.
There is a distinct possibility of a fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr., who won a majority decision over Serheii Bohachuk for the WBC interim belt in a fight of the year contender Saturday night in Las Vegas.
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