With Terence Crawford having vacated the last of his two welterweight titles, new champions have emerged over the past few months and the landscape of the weight class has vividly changed. Despite there currently being four champions within the 147 lbs division, however, doubts remain as to whether any sort of unification fight with all four champions aligned with different promotions or enjoying free agency―making for a difficult transition period for the oft-prominent weight category.
The WBA welterweight (147 lbs) title was vacated just last week as the sanctioning body indicated Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KO’s) had decided to keep his WBA super welterweight (154 lbs) title after winning it from Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KO’s) on August 3rd.
Lithuanian fighter Eimantas Stanionis (15-0, 9 KO’s), previously in ownership of the WBA “regular” welterweight title, is now the sole reigning WBA champion in the division with both the “regular” and “super” title distinctions removed.
American fighter Mario Barrios (29-2, 18 KO’s) is still acknowledged as the WBC welterweight champion after being elevated to world champion [from interim champion] in July, while the WBO and IBF titles are currently respectively held by fellow Americans Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KO’s) and Jaron Ennis (32-0, 29 KO’s).
Like Stanionis, Norman Jr. was also recently promoted from his status of being the WBO interim champion after Crawford vacated his WBO title roughly a week after his August 3rd bout against Madrimov.
A fight between any of the champions appears unlikely at the moment with each combatant tied to a rival promotion. Barrios is currently still affiliated with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) who acts through TGB Promotions, run by longtime promoter Tom Brown, which complicates matters given PBC has, thus far, only produced two shows this year―with a third show set to occur when Canelo Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KO’s) steps into the ring with Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KO’s) on September 14th.
With it being likely WBC champion Mario Barrios is constrained by the lack of PBC’s lack of scheduling, it is difficult to determine when Barrios would make a return to the ring―much less compete in a unification fight against an opponent of one of PBC’s rival promotions.
WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis might also not fight soon after he revealed recently he was a free agent and would be continuing as such for the time being. While his free agency status does grant him a lot of flexibility, when it comes to unification fights there might be plenty of barriers impeding such bouts―particularly the willingness of his prospective belt-holding opponents to face him, as well as the lucrativeness of the offers he receives and sends.
WBO champion Brian Norman Jr. is contracted to Top Rank and does appear to be in negotiations with IBF champion―and Matchroom fighter―Jaron Ennis, but already talks between the two parties seem on the brink of collapse after Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn accused Norman Jr. of rejecting lucrative offers, and these negotiations are further complicated by the IBF’s recent order for Jaron Ennis and Karen Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KO’s) to face each other―again.
All in all, nothing seems particularly out-of-the-ordinary given boxing politics is often defined by the intricacies of payouts and promotional clashes, but with there being four different champions in the 147 lbs division, unification fights will be expected.
As each champion will look to progress within their individual careers, it will only be a matter of time before they are faced with the choice to fight other champions, or risk losing both respect and standing as they attempt to craft out a career in the welterweight division.
