Terence Crawford sues Top Rank

WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Top Rank alleging the company was deliberately not building him into a PPV star. Crawford claims in the lawsuit that Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum displays a “revolting racial bias” against black fighters and charges Top Rank with “systemic racism” that runs throughout the company.

Arum told the New York Post that he lost millions on Crawford and called the lawsuit absurd. “My whole career — I may have made mistakes — but one thing I cannot be accused of is being a racist. I have promoted scores of top black boxers,” said Arum.

Read the actual lawsuit:

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  • Funny, he had a chance to sign with the PBC about 2? Or 3 years ago? Anyone with a brain would’ve said “all the good fighters at 147 are with Al Haymon. Top Rank has no Welterweights. Your contract with Top Rank is up, so leave and get the big fights with Haymon”. And yet he resigns with Top Rank. Why?

    Sounds like he’s realizing too late that Arum can’t get him any fights. Sadly every boxing fan/insider could’ve told him that 3 years ago. Now he’s pulling some clown race card move because he’s locked into his contract and bad no legal way out. This is a clown move. Crawford has no one to blame but himself for resigning with Arum. That’s one of the worse moves in boxing since Gamboa and Dirrel signed with 50 Cent. He needs to eat crow and beg Spence to fight him, instead of playing like he’s being ducked by everyone when he knows it’s Arum not being able to make it happen. Then pulling then race card…….

    • I wouldn’t call Crawford’s accusation “race card” because Crawford has actually done business with Arum and you haven’t. Whether Arum is racist or not is irrelevant.

      Crawford’s issue is that he’s a good fighter with bad business instinct. He resign with Top Rank as you said and should have learned from others such as Oscar and Floyd who got the mega fights outside of Arum. Lastly, he got one major win and now he thinks he’s took good to do what Floyd did (70/30 vs Oscar). If Crawford were smart he’d stop whining and sign a 60/40 fight with Spence before it rightfully turns into 70/30. If he win then he gets the lion share. He’s 35 and time is running out.

  • I think Crawford’s Top Rank deal is over and he’s a free agent. Suing because TR allegedly owes him money is one thing, but I’m not sure all this racism stuff helps Bud’s case. Practically everyone says Floyd is boring – not just Arum – and it’s not because of racism. It’s because Floyd’s fights were mostly stinkers.

    • You are an idiot. Floyd is the highest-grossing fighter in the history of the sport. More than Ali, Frazier, Foreman, and Mike Tyson combined. His fights against Oscar, Gatti, Maidana, and others were some of the most exciting fights we’ve seen in the past 20 years. Stop being a moron. ONly white folks deny racism because it doesn’t affect you.

      • You make zero sense. Floyd is the money man. He is , I am going out on a limb here ..kinda black. White people see that . I have never heard it called racism. The problem is blacks who see racism everywhere are the racists. Bernard Hopkins always said,,he would never be beaten by a white fighter. Effing racist as Joe Smith knocked his racist ass out of the ring. SHOW me ONE comment by a white person who said anything racist as Bernard was flying out on his face. Not one. IT is blacks who are racist.

        • 1980 , Alan Minter befire his fight with marvin hagler …”I’ll never let a Black Man take my title”

          • Minter did indeed say that. It’s in the newspaper archives if you care to look. However, Minter himself was not a racist. You have to understand the culture of the U.K. at the time to understand why it happened in the first place.

        • Nah, it’s not only blacks. I cheered like hell when smith knocked Hopkins out of the ring. I won’t reiterate what I yelled at the tv but I’m sure you can put 2 and 2 together 🙂

        • Kurtis. Agreed man. I saw some racism in action recently. A white guy would not be let in to a restaurant by the front host (black man). He cited restaurant was at capacity. White dude told him my friends r at the table already. Dude literally told him we jus dont want ur kind in the restaurant. Same black guy is probably crying over racism even though he is more than racist himself. Makes me sick!

      • only mike is stupid because he keeps track of peoples skin color. You racist eff

      • “ONly white folks deny racism because it doesn’t affect you”
        – Educate yourself on the meaning of racism before making such an ignorant post.
        – A very smart person once said: “Better that people think you are a fool, than to open your mouth and prove them correct”.
        – Take care

        • This lawsuit is kind of absurd in every corner, especially because the accused most likely will be laughing in heaven or hell when the verdict happens.

      • I’m black and I’m calling BS on Crawford’s racism allegations. Promoters are about making money period the only color they care about is green. He promoted Marvelous Marvin Hagler and made him the biggest star in boxing in the mid 80’s.

      • No, you’re the idiot mikey mike. You have to adjust gross income for inflation. pretty boy floyd is a pimple on the ass of the aforementioned boxers. Of course racism exists, it always will, but not in the manner buddy boy is claiming. This makes him look like a weak punk. He’s a defensive 1st fighter that are always a hard sale. Besides, why don’t blacks support black fighters instead of looking for the white man for a hand out?

      • Take your BS somewhere else. You drank the Kool aid and now you want others to drink it as well. Performance and earnings are 2 different areas of the sport. Learn the difference and be your own man. Your comment makes you look soft and suspect.

      • Well look who’s been licking the lollipop of lies that Floyd fans have been trying to perpetuate for years…
        FLOYD has no one to blame but himself for NOT having the boxing ballz to fight IN PRIME competition.
        Floyd fights were not exciting because he would avoid fighting Young Gifted Fast IN PRIME African American Fighters.
        Now Pretty Boy did have some compelling fights but that all stopped when he went up and got that “gift” decisions against past prime Oscar.
        Floyd made money by being the “dunk clown” people wanted to see get dunked in the dunk pool by fans of the other fighters throwing the softball on the target.
        So Floyd made his bed for money, but not a real legacy of great fights.
        Don’t cry if Floyd doesn’t get as much accolades because he wasn’t willing to risk for true greatness against the IN PRIME competition.

    • he will fight bums and complain. it is what he does. Sheesh Thurman, Porter, Brooke, etc all fought better guys. Pacquiaio fought huge guys. Hey Terrance fight Benevedes..or sheesh even a guy your size who can fight…Vergil? Shitson there are fights to be made and Terrence is crying. Hate him

      • You only hate him because he is a top fighter if he was a journeyman you wouldn’t give him a second thought

  • Here s what I know; the firm representing Crawford are sports and entertainment heavyweights; they don’t handle BS or frivolous cases. They wouldn’t take this case if they didn’t reasonably believe that they had a case.

    • hey fool, money and advertising. Lawyers always sue first and facts later. You are a nub.

    • They DO have a case because arum did not fulfill the two fights a year for three year contract. What we’re objecting to is using the race card. I’ll bet covid had something to do with that specific year in Bud not getting but only one fight in 2020, but I’m certain that his skin color had nothing to do with it.

  • Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! Shame on Crawford for pulling these shenanigans!!!

  • Crawford, number 1: you are boring and not PPV worthy. I have never paid for one of your PPV events and nor will I unless it is against Spence or Ortiz. Number 2: you are also delusional with your idiotic racist rant. Would you like some reparation pay along with the money you are looking to swindle from Top Rank? Enough with your charade. You are too old to be acting like Ryan Garcia (the little prima donna who pulled this same idiotic act with De La Hoya). If you think you are PPV worthy, then demand the Spence or Ortiz fights and quit crying over the past 4 years.

    • I disagree with Crawford’s lawsuit but he’s not boring. He knocks guys out and does it in spectacular fashion. Boring he is not.

      • No, he is boring. If he wasn’t, he would automatically be a PPV star. He is not overly aggressive, he is not a flashy counter-puncher, and he breaks opponents down gradually. Actually they more or less crumple down. I have never seen him score a devastating KO with a guy flat on his back. To me, he is a very good but certainly not great boxer. The only decent names on his resume are Gamboa (nearly 8 years ago) and a way past-his-prime Porter. He has fought mostly no-names or fighters way past their best. How people can rate him # 1 pound-for-pound is ludicrous. Why, because he is undefeated? Because he is a three division belt-holder? Broner was undefeated with three belts as well and look what happened when he stepped up the competition. Unless Spence is damaged goods from the car accident, detached retina, and long lay-off he will beat Crawford. Bud knows this and maybe that’s why he won’t take the risk. It’s hard to respect someone who calls foul ball when they don’t even step up to the plate.

    • How is it that a man who knocked out his last 9 opponents in championship bouts boring? Please explain.

      • Carter, it’s simple. Styles determine how exciting a fighter is, at least to me. So does the overall personality. That being said, I have been watching fights for over 30 years so maybe it takes more to keep me entertained, LOL. Michael Nunn was 6-1 with 4 KO’s in middleweight title fights. NONE of those fights were exciting with the exception of round 11 against James Toney when Nunn got KO’d. Nunn’s style was incredibly boring to watch. Also Virgil Hill, who was 11-1 with 5 KO’s in his first light heavyweight reign was another one that was just terribly morbid to watch. Maybe his TKO1 over James Kinchen was somewhat exciting. There is just something about Crawford, Nunn, and Hill that is/was lacking. Maybe it’s the same thing I saw in Mayweather and Whitaker, a mostly disinterested persona in the ring with no real passion. Fighters like Terry Norris, Felix Trinidad, Erik Morales, Tim Bradley, even Calvin Grove (remember him from the 80’s), though possibly lesser skilled than the other aforementioned fighters, were much more fun to watch because they put their all and into just about every fight. There was a certain intensity about them that Crawford does not have. There are also long stretches of rounds in Crawford fights where he is not punching. I understand that’s his style as a boxer trying to time his opponents and set them up for traps but once again, I find it very boring and certainly not worth PPV money.

        The totally idiotic racist accusation against Arum is another major detraction in the overall appeal of Crawford. Things like that make him look like a whiny cad, regardless of what he does in the ring.

      • How many of the fights were that compelling? Most were one sided drubbings which aren’t entertaining. Crawford came through 135 and 140 at a time when the divisions weren’t that happening. Now he is mad because PBC has the top 147 guys locked up. His contract is up and if he was such a hot commodity someone should snap him up but Bud has that problem where is real tough and doesn’t bring much money to the table

    • No one today is really ppv worthy. Really Crawford needs Spence and Spence needs Crawford to really have a fight that is ppv worthy. But Davis Fury and Thurman fighting lesser fighters on ppv give me a break. Sorry but Ortiz should beat a top contender or two or win a belt before he is ready for Crawford just for the build up even if his skills are ready. Mayweather and Pacquiao were the last fighters that could get people to buy a ppv without a worthy opponent

  • racist crap. F this bum. HE ruins boxing. Hate Terence Crawford. Never again.

  • thank GOD he is 36 and will blame his age soon and be all…I cunnt get fights…waaahhh. Brooke fought GGG whan they wouldnt “let” him fight.

    • I have heard plenty of Mexican fighters complain about that mostly it was that American fighters not necessarily a paticular race got opportunity and they didn’t. I worked with fighters in Mexico for several years and heard this all the time and maybe they had a point.

    • ….or a white fighter since the most screwed over fighters in the sport of boxing today come from Central and Eastern European countries. Black Fighters experienced racism in boxing……… 70 years ago. The only fighters who experience it today are white fighters. It is just reality folks.

  • Yet another poor rich black celebrity seeking attention. Just like Wilder. Freakin’ crybaby get over yourself

  • crawford is a major POS. he is racist through and through. hope he loses the suit and gets his ass kicked in the ring.

  • This is going to get ugly! Crawford is putting himself in a NO WIN situation. If memory serves me well, TR has promoted scores of Black and Latino fighters and never really showed any bias or preferences. Arum like many looks out for the almighty dollar which happens to be green! Not black, brown or white! What Crawford is guilty of is NOT realizing this sooner and making a move?!!

  • Curious: so, can someone explain to me exactly how blacks can be racist in America? You lost me on that one…

    • DMV:
      – Racism does not exist only “against” one race regardless of the times or the country that we live in.
      Things / questions to think about:
      – If I am discriminated against in my search for employment based on my race, regardless of my race, that is racism.
      – If a person of one race calls a person of another a racial slur, is person being a racist?
      – When a black person calls another a “nigger”, is that racism?
      – When Dave Chapelle was on Comedy Central, he did a skit called “The Niggars”. Was that racist?
      – When there are scholarships, Universities, businesses, radio stations, etc., that are basically for “blacks” only, is that racism?
      – Take care.

      • Yes yes and yes. However most black people don’t think they are racist even though they call or have called white people named like cracker, honkey, white bread etc etc. lol

        • Exactly! In my view, the worst racists are those that cannot even see their own racism.

    • If you have to ask the THAT question, you have cognitive issues that need addressing. Pick up a dictionary and educate yourself.

  • I don’t know if the lawsuit will lead to settlement, but it’s odd how Bob publicly bashes his own fighters and hurts their market value Remember when Rigo beat Donaire and Bob shit all over him? You never see Eddy Hear do that to his fighters. The job of a promoter is to promote a fighter and help them to be marketable. Some of the blame has to go on the fighter, but demeaning your fighter in public….I think Arum said them because he knew the contract was up soon and didn’t care As far as being racist. That label gets thrown around too much nowadays, but I agree that Bob does a better job with his Latino fighters. Is that by design or because of the latin fanbase? That’s up for debate.

    • I think Latino boxers have a better chance in our country to be BOX OFFICE than do black boxers. they have a far biggger base of people I thiink that will support them in the USA. I was very young, but I remmeber when Ruben Olivares, one of the greatest Batam weight champs used to fight in the LA Forum before 18,000 people, some 50 years ago. It is difficult for a black boxer to be a box office success I feel, no matter how good he is.
      Mr. Mayweahter only succeeded in that by playing the villain card, which he sort of did with gatti. Even Muhammed Ali did that as well. His two matches with Sonny Liston were not such big box office successes when you look at the crowds that came to see those matches, the second only 2,000 in Lewston Maine. His matches in Europe were far bigger as far as crowds go. But he did say that learning from Gorgeous George, he learned how to be bigger box office than he might have otherwise been. Adrien Bronner, besides perhaps not being as great as he thought he was, had sadly the right idea, even though he did not have that right idea in other parts of his life.
      While I don’t think Arum is a racist, he has shown some very poor choice of words in this comments. First I remember when Jeff Harding of Australia defeated a black British boxer (name I can’t remember) quit after the second round becuase he had got punched in the throat and called him a coward while the boxer was leaving the ring, not helping to try to promote a second De La Hoya match with Pernell Whitaker, when that decision was somewhat controversial, and Whitaker lost the title, Mayweathers (I think not deserving win over the Mexican boxer) for the first light weight title fight, and his criiticismm of that. finally not hellping Rigodeux a little bit. Certainly he did take the side of Margaritto when the glove situation came.
      I do think Crawford is wrong in this suit, though I would have to read it, but have nothing but respect for the man,a being as successful as he is with all the obstacles that he faced.

  • I hope Crawford wins. No matter what the fans say if you haven’t worked with Arum. Crawford isnt the first to say this. They all leave Arum for the same reason

  • Talk about a waste of time lawsuit. If Arum loves one thing its money. Why would he willingly make less money?

  • If top rank owes him money he should sue., However, the race cards is BS! Arum promoted the likes of Ali, Leonard, Foreman, Mayweather, etc. They did good under his belt. Man! I don’t want to Not be a fan of bud but come on SMH

    • I agree 100%. The only self hating POS that I knew of is Don King, who by the way, I’ve had the misfortune of seeing on a regular basis for the past 11 years in my neighborhood, still rocking the American flag jean jacket. Anyways, he screwed everyone out of millions, especially his own “fellow black brothers”, as he puts it.

  • Actually the racist here is Crawford, one of those people who see everything that goes wrong in their lives as caused by Whites.

  • I think Crawford might be too good for his own good. Might be the greatest fighter I’ve ever seen. Not sure. I felt this way with Hopkins too.

    • Is a big problem for Crawford. Technically superior fighter. Way too many skills but despite his ability he doesn’t generate big support. He has fought on HBO and ESPN since 2014 and hasn’t gotten casual fan interest. If anything he’s lucky he was with Arum or else he would be stuck like Demetrius Andrade fighting on small time cards

  • Dang, at some point, people (some/most) will need to cease using racism allegations as a means to escape accountability; to further self victimization; and/or to escape poor decision making in life. Such antics may/will cause the public (juries included) to disregard/nullify substantiated cases of racial biases or racism.

    Even nowadays, I am 100% sure there are still folks out there who encounter individual forms of racial biases and/or racism. However, establishing “systemic racism” is a difficult legal task (although not impossible). Based on Arum’s professional background, Crawford will have a difficult legal journey.

    But then again, in today’s “cultural climate,” maybe Crawford’s efforts may scare TR/Arum into capitulation.

  • For Crawford to be pulling out the race card is a low class move. Personalities and styles sell fights. Arum has promoted Ali, Hagler, Hearns, etc., and currently promotes Black activist Shakur Stevenson. While Crawford has fantastic skills, his dismal PPV numbers speak for themselves; he couldn’t sell girlie mags in a prison!

  • As much as I don’t like Bob arum, I lost a lot of respect for Terence Crawford with his erroneous ‘racist’ accusation. I didn’t think Bud was one of these whiny leftist black people who always cry racism when it’s not warranted. I read about this on another site and it outlined the purses that Crawford was getting for the fights he had and arum only missed giving him one of the fights in 2020 that was part of the contract. Bud was making great purses for the level of opposition he was fighting, so he can hardly claim racism.

    • Yes Arum missed a fight in the contract but Covid should give him an out of that. Bud should be smarter than to try and sue a lawyer

  • Time to turn these deliberate false accusations of racism into a crime. All it does is put race relations back even further. Bud should be ashamed. I hope Spence flattens him.

  • Crawford looking for a payday before he signs with PBC. Lame. Arum was paying him well and probably tried his best to promote him to a larger audience but fight fans connect with who they connect with. Crawford doesn’t have the flashy style or the verbal ability to get over like Floyd. He doesn’t have that one punch power that you can excite the casuals with like Gervontae. Plus he comes from Omaha so it’s not like he is from a major urban centre where he can generate a large regional following. Stupid timing, stupid lawsuit. This will tie him up for awhile before he signs with PBC and fights his one fight a year like most of their top fighters do. Funny this lawsuit comes out a couple of days after The guy from PBC says he is not a PPV star and can’t be paid like one

  • Bud can screw himself bottom line. He got around 6 million for Porter. Over 5 million for glass jaw Khan. And over 3 million for washed up Brook and one leg Benevides. If anything Bud is overpaid and PBC don’t want to try and pay him anything near that

  • I understand the entire lawsuit/litigation process needed to terminate contracts, but I hope that the addition of racial accusations is not just to strengthen the lawsuit itself.

    We’ve been spared the political BS for the most part which besides the live of boxing, is why we post and communicate here.

    Many of us have practiced, and or competed at some level and do not see colors, just fellow warriors.

    Here’s to hoping that this site is not poisoned like the rest of the world. Peace be with all of you.

  • The most annoying thing is people are discussing nothing but the racial angle but are too lazy to read Crawfords main complaint was he was promised a Spence fight and it never happened. Guess Bud has missed the worldwide pandemic wreaking havoc on sports and the eye injury to Spence. Real tough to make a Spence fight when both guys will want 10 million+ but neither are draws like Floyd or Canelo

  • Ah yes, the final throes of an aging champion who realizes–belatedly–that his unappealing style has resulted in his lack of fame. Mayweather made the same realization earlier in his career, but at least he was smart enough to enhance his outside-the-ring persona (with the Money gimmick) in order to increase his drawing power.

  • It can not be a fun life you have if you put on a pair of glasses that makes you interpret everything that goes against you as racism. It is a simplified worldview.

    To give oneself the right to label others as racist is to make it easy for oneself. I’m fed up with that.

    We all know that there is racism. Maybe it’s time to take it seriously that racism is not just a white problem. Only then can we clean up that shit.

  • It’s funny how it’s always the people who cry and say racism is crap are the ones who have never experienced it. Crawford fulfilled his contract. It’s not like others who tried to weasel their ways out of them. All I see on message boards are cowards calling black people monkeys and make disparaging comments and the like and then when a fighter she’s his promoter who has made disparaging comments that hurt his market value you get mad? It’s his choice. And if he loses the lawsuit and it’s frivolous as many claim, he will be out out thousands of dollars. It’s his battle. And he has alot to lose here. So when the real facts come out then you can make judgement. It takes a lot for someone to make those claims. Not saying I believe them….but what do I know? You all don’t know shit about this business.

  • Its not dubious that Arum is a bit racist towards his black fighters. However, this has nothing to do with race. Crawford realizes he’s in a bad situation because of his terrible decisions and is trying to use “race”.

    The real issue is Crawford is a good fighter but a terrible business man. First he’s 35 and the clock is ticking. He got ONE major win and thinks that equates to Spence’s multiple major wins and multiple titles. If he were smart he’d beg Spence for 60/40. Floyd took a 70/30 deal against Oscar because he saw the big picture. If he beats Spence, he will always be A side. Stop blaming Arum and race. He should have learned from the fighters before him to not resign with Arum.

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