Goodbye Terence Crawford: hanging up the gloves on top and with legacy intact

Terence Crawford has decided the time has come to hang up the gloves. At 38, the American boxer has brought his professional career to an end with a flawless 42-0 record and 31 knockouts, closing his journey just months after defeating Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez to become the undisputed champion at 168 pounds.

Known as ‘The Bud,’ Crawford posted a video on his YouTube channel reflecting on his career and thanking promoters, rivals, fans and, above all, his family for their unwavering support. With that message, he confirmed that his story in professional boxing will officially end in 2025.

Crawford stripped of a title

All professional boxers are required to pay sanctioning fees to the governing bodies for their bouts. If those fees are not paid, the fights cannot be officially recognized. After falling behind on two such payments to the World Boxing Council, WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán decided to strip Crawford of the organization’s iconic green and gold belt.

Despite that setback, Crawford had remained silent about his future. Álvarez was pushing for a rematch, and it was not until now that the Nebraskan made his decision public – choosing to retire at the peak of the sport, still recognized as champion at super middleweight by the WBO, WBA and IBF.

Crawford’s legacy left for boxing

At 38, Crawford showed he still had what it took to rule boxing. His victory over Álvarez crowned him undisputed super middleweight champion, a result that also made him a dominant force across three different weight divisions.

Before moving up to super middleweight, Crawford had already ruled both super welterweight and super lightweight as an undisputed champion. He also captured world titles at welterweight and lightweight, while in every other division he competed in, he held all the major belts during his push for unification.

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