Terence Crawford is moving on from a potential fight with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. He's now looking at other options for his next bout, with Sebastian Fundora emerging as the likely opponent.
Crawford stepped up to super-welterweight in August and beat Israil Madrimov to claim the WBA title. After that win, he set his sights on an unprecedented jump to super-middleweight to face Canelo.
Alvarez, however, didn't show much interest in the matchup. He focused on his September fight with Edgar Berlanga, which he won by unanimous decision. The victory allowed him to keep his WBC, WBA, and WBO belts at 168lbs.
Even after beating Berlanga, Canelo remained lukewarm about facing Crawford. He said he'd listen to offers but didn't seem too keen on the idea.
Now, it looks like Crawford's moving in a different direction. The WBO has granted a 10-day extension for Crawford to negotiate a fight with Sebastian Fundora.
The WBO Championship Committee explained the situation:
"On August 28, 2024, this Committee issued the negotiation order for the mandatory between WBO Jr. Middleweight Champion, Sebastian Fundora and WBO Interim Jr. Middleweight Champion, Terence Crawford to terminate the Interim Champion status per WBO policy.
Per the order rendered, the parties were granted 30 days to strike a deal or purse bid proceedings would be called in accordance with WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.
On September 30, 2024, the WBO acknowledged receipt of an email communication by Attorney, Mr. Harrison Whitman, on behalf of Terrence Crawford requesting a 10-day extension of the negotiation period to continue discussion towards an agreement as ordered. On the same day, Sebastian Fundora's promoter Mr. Sampson Lewkowicz ratified the aforesaid petition via email agreeing to the extension."
Fundora holds the WBC and WBO super-welterweight titles. He won them in March with a split decision victory over Tim Tszyu.
If the fight comes together, it will be a big test for Crawford at his new weight. But for now, fans will have to wait and see what comes from these negotiations.
