When a legendary boxer, having just reached his peak earning potential, decides to retire, potentially foregoing $100 million or more in future earnings, skepticism is inevitable. Yet, heed this advice: do not doubt Terence Crawford.
This refusal to be doubted is precisely what fueled Crawford`s career. It propelled him to become the undisputed champion across three divisions (140, 147, and 168 pounds) and established him as arguably the greatest pound-for-pound fighter globally (with all due respect to Oleksandr Usyk, for whom a strong case can also be made). Breaking nearly every boxing convention, he retired undefeated, at the pinnacle of the sport, immediately following his most significant victory.
The only other great I’ve known to achieve such a definitive retirement—and crucially, stay retired—is Andre Ward, who departed in 2017 after consecutive wins over Sergey Kovalev.
“What strikes me the most about where Terence is, the place that I was fortunate enough to get to—with your legacy, your faculties, and your fortune intact—is that you’ve defeated the greatest opponent any fighter could face,” Ward commented. “You have defeated the sport itself. You have defeated the doubters, injury, praise, and criticism. You have overcome risk: that single punch that can change your legacy and your life. This is rare air. You’ve beaten boxing.”
Boxing is fraught with traps, starting with the fighter`s ego, which often compels diminished legends to return. Beyond ego, the game is often rigged, favoring the larger man, the younger star, or the “A-side” fighter who generates the most revenue. At 38 years old, Crawford, having spent most of his career well below the middleweight class, was none of those things when he matched up against Canelo Alvarez in September. Canelo was not only the undisputed 168-pound champion but also the sport`s biggest financial draw. Yet, Crawford`s historic victory was a decisive demolition, far more one-sided than the unanimous scorecards suggested.
This success story circles back to the dual concepts of money and doubt. While many fighters seek the Canelo fight merely for the score of a lifetime, for Crawford, Canelo was his “white whale”—an existential corrective for every critic he had ever faced. “That`s the only fight I want,” Crawford told Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi chairman who financed the bout.
When Alalshikh suggested other rising stars like Jaron `Boots` Ennis or Vergil Ortiz Jr., Crawford was uninterested. “Boots is not a megafight,” he maintained. “Vergil Ortiz is not a megafight. This is the tail end of my career. They’re going to say, ‘You were supposed to win.’ I want Canelo Alvarez.”
If you doubted his ability to defeat Canelo then, perhaps now is the time to reassess your judgment. Crawford will stay retired—and if you still doubt it, just remember that when facing doubters, Crawford is undefeated. Before Canelo, he faced those who thought he could never beat Errol Spence Jr., a fighter whose career Crawford definitively ended.
Crawford battled doubt originating from his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, and even from his own mother, Miss Debra. Famously, before his first title fight against Ricky Burns in Scotland 11 years ago, Miss Debra gave him a unique pre-fight “pep talk.” She told her son: “You ain`t s—. Gonna get your ass kicked.”
She later explained her unconventional motivational tactic: “I knew it’s gonna stick in his head. And he’s gonna go over there and whup some ass.” That is precisely what happened: a little-known fighter traveled continents to earn a unanimous decision in the champion`s backyard. That moment launched his long, undefeated title run.
Looking back, one is reminded of Mike Tyson`s theory that great warriors, like Alexander the Great, are “mama’s boys” who constantly push forward to avoid their mother’s domination. By this measure, the Crawford matriarch stands among boxing`s greatest motivators.
Thank you, Miss Debra.
Thank you, Terence.
It was a pleasure. It was challenging. It was an honor.
