Abass Barou is now officially the WBA 154-lb champion after Terence Crawford vacated his title today. It was a predictable action by Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) because he holds four belts at super middleweight after his victory over undisputed 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez last Saturday, September 13.
Baraou Elevated to Full Champion
Terence had mentioned this week that he wouldn’t be returning to the 154-lb division. He said he’d either fight at 168 or 160, but not 154. “No, I ain’t going down to 154,” said Crawford to Ring Magazine about his decision not to return to the junior middleweight division to reclaim his WBA title.
He said he’s going to discuss with his team what to do next. It’s obvious that he’s going to be advised to wait and see if Canelo will want a rematch, because that’s Crawford’s best chance for a big payday. Terence has already rejected these two fights:
- David Benavidez
- Jaron Ennis
If Crawford fails to get the rematch with Canelo, his best hope for a nice payday at super middleweight would be against Hamzah Sheeraz. That would have a lot to do with whether Turki Alalshikh wants this fight.
Abass (17-1, 9 KOs) dethroned WBA interim junior middleweight champion Yoenis Tellez, beating him by a 12-round unanimous decision in a competitive fight on August 23 in Orlando, Florida. Baraou absorbed a lot of punishment in the fight before pulling away in the championship rounds, dropping Tellez in the 12th with a flurry of shots.
A Tough Reign Begins
It’s unclear how long Baraou will be able to hold onto his WBA title, because he’s already got Jaron Ennis as his #1 contender, and that’s one of the best talents in the division. Fighting him in his first defense as the WBA champion would be a nightmare.
“Official: Terence Crawford has vacated the Super Welterweight crown [154-lb] WBA and Baraou Abass is elevated to regular champion. Crawford now holds all the Super Middleweight titles 👑👑👑,” said Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN Knockout today.