WBO orders Terence Crawford to defend title against welterweight contender

Terence Crawford has been ordered by the WBC to face Alexis Rocha next.

'Bud' has been out of action since his clash with David Avanesyan in December. The bout was the first and last as a part of Crawford's deal with the upstart BLK Prime promotion. The champion previously left Bob Arum's top rank after a knockout win over Shawn Porter in 2021.

On his return to pay-per-view last year against David Avanesyan, the welterweight champion predictably dominated. In the sixth round, Crawford scored a highlight-reel knockout win over 'Ava'. While it wasn't the fight fans wanted, as they hoped to see the champion fight Errol Spence Jr., the victory was a great one.

Sadly for fans, the clash between Terence Crawford and 'The Truth' won't be coming next either. Earlier this week, the WBO ordered their welterweight champion to defend his title against Alexis Rocha.

WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel revealed the news in an interview with ESPN this week. There, he stated that Crawford was long overdue to make a mandatory title defense. In the interview, he said:

"Terence Crawford's mandatory defense window has expired, he needs to do his mandatory [fight], since he hasn't done one since he fought against Shawn Porter [in November 2021]. Crawford fought [David] Avanesyan, but that wasn't a mandatory defense."

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Alexis Rocha discusses facing Terence Crawford next

For Alexis Rocha, getting a shot at Terence Crawford has long been in the making.

Holding a professional record of 22-1 with 14 knockouts, he's coming off a knockout win over George Ashie in the seventh round. Furthermore, he's currently the NABO champion, which has led to him being named mandatory.

In an interview with BoxingScene conducted after he was named mandatory, Alexis Rocha discussed the opportunity. For him, he's happy to finally be gifted a title shot, as he wants to fight the best. Right now, one of the best on the planet is Terence Crawford.

However, it goes beyond that as well. Rocha stated that the fight has the chance to not only change his life, but also the life of his family.

“I won’t know if I’m ready until I’m actually in the ring with him,” Rocha noted. “If Golden Boy tells me he’s my next fight, of course I’ll be cool with that. I’m a young fighter who is here to fight the best... My job is to fight the best, beat the best and become one of the best. I want to change my life and my family’s life.”