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.<\/p>\n
“Give my bro Lester a title shot, because he should be champion right now,” Crawford tweeted.<\/p>\n
Give my bro Lester a title shot, because he should be champion right now. pic.twitter.com\/1fJf0sELb0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) January 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n As of his official elevation status on Tuesday<\/a>, Mbilli does not have a definitive plan for his first title defense as full champion.<\/p>\n Super middleweight title picture without Terence Crawford WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli | IMAGO \/ Panoramic by PsnewZ<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n MORE: Watch Teofimo Lopez face Shakur Stevenson Live On DAZN<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The Ring is the only sanctioning body to still recognize Crawford as its champion, despite his retirement announcement.<\/p>\n The Latest Boxing News<\/p>\n The Absurd Amount Paramount Is Reportedly Paying Zuffa Boxing in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Tyson Fury’s Boxing Return Confirmed as Date and Location Announced<\/a><\/p>\n Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez Face Off at MSG During Knicks Game<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Christian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01jshdrjaa8rmrwz1qyt.jpg\" "\\"Christian")
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