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Terence Crawford has announced his retirement from boxing at the age of 38, as he exits the sport with an unbeaten record and as the only fighter in the four-belt era to be undisputed champion at three weights.
The move comes three months after the American took the undisputed super-middleweight titles from Canelo Alvarez with a masterclass at Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium – a result that sealed Crawford’s historic three-division conquest.
The points victory improved Crawford’s record to 42-0 (31 knockouts) and followed his undisputed triumphs at welterweight and super-lightweight. “Bud” also held world titles at lightweight and super-welterweight.
“Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove,” Crawford wrote on social media on Tuesday, while sharing a video recapping his astonishing career – a career that will see him go down as a modern great.
Before his win over Canelo, Crawford’s standout victory was his 2023 demolition of compatriot and fellow southpaw Errol Spence Jr, a win that secured Crawford undisputed status at welterweight.
The bout was billed as a 50-50 fight in the lead-up, with both men entering Las Vegas unbeaten, but Crawford dropped Spence Jr three times en route to a stoppage victory.
Crawford also holds notable wins against Shawn Porter, Amir Khan and Kell Brook, having stopped all three.
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Terence Crawford (right) dismantled Errol Spence Jr in their 2023 showdown (AP)
Crawford’s sudden retirement comes just weeks after his feud with the World Boxing Council (WBC), whose president Mauricio Sulaiman accused the fighter of failing to pay sanctioning fees for two bouts, including the clash with Canelo. Crawford was stripped of the WBC title as a result.
Crawford seemed to admit he had not paid the fees, including around $300,000 from his rumoured $50m purse for the Canelo fight. Still, he fired back at Sulaiman, saying: “Who the f*** you think I am? Boy, you better slap your f***ing self, I ain’t paying your ass s***.
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“The f*** you talking about, pay you $300,000? What makes you so motherf*****g better than any of the other sanctioning bodies? Answer that question. Everybody accepted what I was giving them. The WBC, you think that you’re better than everybody. You got the f***ing green belt, which don’t mean f***ing s***.
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Crawford outclassed and outpointed Canelo Alvarez in September (AP)
“You can take the f***ing belt, it’s a trophy anyway. [Why] the f*** am I paying you every time I step foot in the ring? I’m the motherf****r that’s putting my ass on the line, not you.”
After beating Canelo, Crawford was linked to a rematch but also a potential title fight at middleweight, where a championship would have seen him hold gold in six neighbouring divisions over the course of his career.
However, Tuesday’s news of his retirement puts an end to those rumours.
