Terence “Bud” Crawford takes his newfound independence seriously and is lobbing heavy allegations against his former promoter, Bob Arum.
On Wednesday, Jan, 12, the current WBO welterweight world champion filed a lawsuit against his former promoter in Nevada. The suit alleges racial bias by Top Rank founder and chairman Bob Arum.
Coming For Bob
According to reports, in the suit, Crawford claims that the 90-year-old Hall of Fame promoter “continues to make racist and bigoted statements and purposefully damage the reputations of Black boxers.”
In addition, Crawford claims that “Arum’s sordid history with athletes of color, especially Black fighters, and his bias favoring white and Latino fighters is well-documented and known throughout the boxing world,” and that “Arum makes no secret of his deep-seated bias against Black fighters.”
Ouch. However, Crawford echoes statements made by other prominent Black and Latino former champions like Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Mikey Garcia.
Bob’s Clap Back
“Bud Crawford’s lawsuit against Top Rank is frivolous,” Arum said in a statement later Wednesday. “His vile accusations of racism are reckless and indefensible. He knows it, and his lawyer knows it. I have spent my entire working life as a champion of Black boxers, Latino boxers, and other boxers of color. I have no doubt the Court will see Crawford’s case for the malicious extortion attempt that it is.”
Now Crawford is seeking damages over $5.4 million from Arum and Top Rank. He claims he lost the funds due to Top Rank’s failure to deliver the second fight in year two of his signed extension in 2018.
The Receipts
Crawford might have a valid point with the lack of a Top Rank-produced Errol Spence fight offer. He claims that when he signed to fight Egidijus Kavaliauskas in 2019, the agreement included a $900,000 payment if Top Rank didn’t in good faith offer Crawford the fight against Spence by the end of 2020
To find about more about Terence Crawford’s lawsuit and claims of racism against former promoter Bob Arum, click here.
