Terence Crawford announced his decision to retire from boxing to the world on Tuesday. The five-time division champion is stepping away just three months after defeating Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight championship, which made Crawford the only boxer in the four-belt era to become an undisputed champion in three weight classes.
Crawford’s post on social media stated that he was “walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove,” per ESPN.
“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,” Crawford said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
“This isn’t goodbye, this is the end of one fight and the beginning of another.”
“I gave this sport every breath I had,” he continued. “Every scar, every triumph, every ounce of my heart. I’ve made peace with what’s next. And now, it’s time. Thank you.”
There was some speculation that Crawford was pursuing a bout with former YouTuber Jake Paul, who now competes in some of the biggest fights the combat sport has to offer, but Crawford has elected to hang up the gloves.
“I spent my whole life chasing something,” Crawford said. “Not belts, not money, not headlines. But that feeling, the one you get when the world doubts you, and you keep showing u,p and you keep proving everyone wrong.”
Undersized in many of his fights, Crawford certainly proved his doubters wrong.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.