Boxing

Terence Crawford Calls For Sparring Partner's Title Shot After Mbilli Elevation

Now-retired Terence Crawford calls for his friend to get the next shot at his former belt
Jaren Kawada|
Terence Crawford
Terence Crawford | IMAGO / Torsten Helmke

Terence Crawford wants his close friend and former training partner to have one of his old belts.

Crawford became the undisputed super middleweight champion when he defeated Canelo Alvarez in September 2025, three months before he vacated the titles by announcing his retirement. The WBC subsequently elevated Christian Mbilli, its interim 168-pound titleholder, to full champion.

The move made logistical sense, but Crawford wants to see his friend, Lester Martinez, get another crack at Mbilli with the world title on the line. Crawford declared that Martinez "should be the champion" after his draw with Mbilli on the undercard of his fight with Alvarez.

"Give my bro Lester a title shot, because he should be champion right now," Crawford tweeted.

Crawford and Martinez have trained together for a while, since the latter joined his camp under renowned trainer Brian 'BoMac' McIntyre. Martinez was one of Crawford's primary training partners in 2025 as he prepared to move up from super welterweight to super middleweight to challenge Alvarez.

Mbilli and Martinez fought tooth and nail in what was inarguably the best fight of the night. The fight was declared a split draw after 10 action-packed rounds, allowing Mbilli to retain his belt.

A rematch was the obvious next step for both fighters, but Mbilli initially appeared to be going in another direction. The Cameroonian was briefly linked to Hamzah Sheeraz following Crawford's retirement, but that fight has since fallen apart.

As of his official elevation status on Tuesday, Mbilli does not have a definitive plan for his first title defense as full champion.

Super middleweight title picture without Terence Crawford

Christian Mbilli
WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli | IMAGO / Panoramic by PsnewZ

The WBC belt was the first that Crawford lost before he retired. The commission stripped 'Bud' of his title on Dec. 3, 2025, after he failed to pay the mandatory fee as champion.

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Despite the messy split, it still took the WBC over a month to promote Mbilli, who is now the second official super middleweight champion since Crawford's departure. The WBA elevated Jose Armando Resendiz, who won the interim belt with an upset win over Caleb Plant, to full champion status on New Year's Day.

The IBF, WBO and The Ring 168-pound titles have yet to be claimed sans Crawford. Sheeraz is expected to face Diego Pacheco for the vacant WBO belt, but the IBF and The Ring have not confirmed any super middleweight championship plans.

The Ring is the only sanctioning body to still recognize Crawford as its champion, despite his retirement announcement.

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Jaren Kawada
JAREN KAWADA

Jaren Kawada is a combat sports writer who specializes in betting, with over five years of experience in boxing and MMA. When he is not covering the sport, Kawada is an avid MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing practitioner. Kawada has previous bylines with ClutchPoints, Sportskeeda MMA, BetSided and FanSided MMA. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kawada has a B.A. in Sports Media from Butler University and now resides in Denver, Colorado.

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