Fresh off his biggest career win, super middleweight king Terence Crawford has decided to retire at age 38, announcing it on social media along with a YouTube video posted Tuesday afternoon.
Crawford posted a tweet that read “Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove. #CrawfordERA” which included a link to his YouTube page. The video was well put together and thoughtfully narrated as Crawford took viewers through his 17-year career. Crawford thanked everyone he needed to without feeling the pressure of forgetting someone in a public forum where anxiety could creep in.
Towards the end of the video, Crawford says “I’m stepping away from competition. Not because I’m done fighting, but because I’ve won a different kind of battle. The one where you walk away on your own terms. This isn’t goodbye, it’s just the end of one fight and the beginning of another.”
We’ve seen many athletes retire and then return months or even years later, especially in boxing. Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez, and Tyson Fury have all said they retired and quickly found themselves back in the ring. With Crawford, is this a goodbye or just a see you later when it comes to being an active fighter?
Should We Take Crawford’s Retirement Announcement Seriously?
Given boxing’s history with retirements, you try to give fighters the benefit of the doubt, but there’s something about the adrenaline rush of the spotlight that keeps them coming back, as retirement can get boring really fast.
Before this shocking announcement, Crawford had plans to pursue a fourth division to be undisputed, which would have been at middleweight. That goal could have been achieved in two fights, with the winner of Erislandy Lara vs. Janibek Alimkhanuly for three belts would face Crawford. Then, if successful, Crawford could have faced the winner of Carlos Adames and his mandatory challenger to complete the undisputed title. This might have been possible in 2026, but Janibek testing positive for ostarine caused him to withdraw from the Lara fight, and the two belts he holds are likely to be split up and awarded to the next top contenders. This setback put a damper on Crawford’s plans, making the Canelo Alvarez rematch the next target on his radar.
Regarding the rematch, Canelo had arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow in October, which means his return to the ring could be in the summer or September 2026. TV Azteca reported that Canelo said he was in negotiations for a rematch with Crawford in September. When Crawford was asked about the rematch over the weekend while overseas by Elie Seckbach, Crawford said, “That’s news to me.” One could interpret that as Crawford asserting his position in negotiations or hinting that he had other plans, which was the announcement made on Tuesday.
Terence Crawford Is A First Ballot Hall of Famer
There is no question that Crawford is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The description sent out with Crawford’s retirement announcement sums it up.
“Terence Crawford is a three-time undisputed champion, five-division world champion, 2014 BWAA fighter of the year, and 2018 ESPY award winner. Outside the ring, Crawford is a proud father, son and brother and successful businessman. He founded the B&B Sports Academy with coach Brian McIntyre in 2013 to provide a safe haven for kids in his north Omaha community. Crawford took his talents to the silver screen, playing Lorenzo “Nightmare” Jones in Creed III. He served as the commencement speaker at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2025, sharing his inspirational story of success.”
It’s unfortunate that boxing politics kept him from facing Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, and others during the height of the welterweight division in recent years. Despite these obstacles, Crawford still managed to secure fights with Errol Spence and Canelo, which solidified his legacy as one of the all-time greats in the sport.
Is Crawford going to return to the ring next year, the year after, or even later? Who knows, but as Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed) said in Rocky IV, “Without some challenge, without some war to fight, then the warrior may as well be dead.” How long before Crawford feels the urge to come back? He might stay retired like his friend Andre Ward, never tasting defeat, or he could return for one last payday that hits nine figures. If I had to guess, based on how Crawford has managed his career, he’s always done it his way, so I believe this retirement is genuine. If we ever see him in the ring again, it’ll probably be in an exhibition against someone like Jake Paul.
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