With its new junior middleweight titleholder Sebastian Fundora choosing to fight former welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., the WBO championship committee will gather next week to make Fundora’s options clear.
If Fundora wants to fight Spence next, he will need to relinquish his WBO belt or have it stripped. A boxing official familiar with the situation told BoxingScene on Friday that Fundora is obligated to next fight unbeaten WBO “super” champion Terence Crawford, who will fight WBA junior middleweight titleholder Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 atop a stacked card in Los Angeles.
If Fundora fails to agree to next fight Crawford, the committee will convert Crawford-Madrimov to a WBO title bout, the official said.
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is in the driver’s seat in this scenario. Not only can he become a four-division and unified champion by winning the 154-pound belt, but he will also be free to pursue a bout with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez later in 2024 or early 2025 and not lose his 154-pound belt.
“[Crawford] will be afforded that privilege,” the official said.
