Why did Terence Crawford retire? Undefeated king explains his surprise decision

Terence “Bud” Crawford, the undisputed pound-for-pound boxing king who cemented his legendary status with a historic victory over Canelo Alvarez in September, announced his retirement from the support Tuesday, December 16, walking away undefeated at 42-0.

The retirement announcement comes in a reflective video.

With this decision, he became the only male boxer in history to capture undisputed world championships in three different weight divisions.

Crawford explained his retirement reason stating, “Every fighter knows this moment would come. You just never know when. I’ve made peace with what’s next. It’s time.”

His final act was monumental. In a highly anticipated fight that shattered all records of Las Vegas attendance and was streamed globally on Netflix, Crawford moved up two weight classes to decisively defeat the formidable Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision last September.

With this victory, he secured his undisputed super middleweight title at Allegiant Stadium before a crowd of 70,482.

This marks his fifth world title across four different weight classes.

Taking to social media, he posted, “Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove.”

The American professional boxer debuted in Omaha. Nebraska in 2008. His final 20 fights were all title bouts. His record stands at 42-0 with 31 knockouts, a testament to his precision, power, and boxing intellect.

In his retirement video, Crawford said, “This sport gave me everything. I fought for my family. I fought for the city. I fought for the kid I used to be, the one who had nothing but a dream and a pair of gloves, and I did it all my way.”

His retirement news follows the World Boxing Council (WBC)’s decision to strip him of the super middleweight title earlier this month for failing to pay a sanctioning fee.