"Forget about the belts!" Buffer and others comment on IBF stripping Crawford's belt.

In early November, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) officially stripped Terence Crawford of his championship belt. He had won it in the summer by defeating Errol Spence. Jaron Ennis, the previous interim champion, now holds the full title.

Ring announcer Michael Buffer reacted to this decision:

"IBF stripped Terence Crawford of the title? Crawford is the legitimate universally recognized world champion, and he should fight in that status! Forget about the belts! The Ring magazine and the fans acknowledge him as the champion! He is the linear and true champion!" – Buffer wrote on his Twitter page.

Former world champion and current promoter Oscar De La Hoya also weighed in:

"What a pathetic decision by the IBF. Terence Crawford is The Ring magazine champion and the acknowledged leader. The Ring magazine's rating is the only one that matters. Without corruption, politics, and abuses," – De La Hoya wrote on his Twitter page.

American journalist Mike Coppinger viewed the situation from a different but not opposing perspective:

"Ennis deserves the belt, but that's not the point. The question is: why did IBF allow Spence to have one mandatory defense in 5.5 years (KO 1 Carlos Ocampo), but as soon as Crawford won the belt, the obligation to defend it suddenly arose? IBF President Daryl Peoples did not respond to messages seeking comments on this situation," – Coppinger wrote.

To recap, Crawford was stripped of the title because he couldn't defend against Jaron Ennis due to the rematch clause activated by Spence.