Terence Crawford is stepping out of the ring for good.
According to ESPN, the five-division champion boxer announced his retirement from the sport on Tuesday. The 38-year-old walks away from boxing with a 42-0 record, with 31 of those wins coming via knockout. Here’s more on his retirement announcement and his historic career.
Crawford announced his retirement in a video chronicling his career
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Crawford spoke about his love for boxing and what drove his determination to excel in the sport.
“I’ve spent my whole life chasing something — not belts, not money, not headlines, but that feeling, the one you get when the world doubts you but you keep showing up,” he’s heard saying in voiceover as clips of his career highs roll.
Crawford explained that “this sport gave me everything,” and he was fighting for much more than himself.
“I fought for my family. I fought for my city. I fought for the kid I used to be, the one who had nothing but a dream and a pair of gloves,” he said in the video.
The 38-year-old gave boxing “every breath I had. Every triumph. Every ounce of my heart.” And now, he’s “made peace with what’s next.”
Crawford then thanked his opponents for “pushing me places I never thought I would go” and “the fans who believed in me when they didn’t have to.” He thanked his “haters” too.
“Without you, without having the fire in my gut to prove each and every one of you wrong, you pushed me to heights that I never thought I’d reach,” the boxer said of his naysayers.
He went on to thank his team, the first promotional company he worked with, TKO Boxing, his family and others.
Crawford concluded the video by explaining why he’s walking away from boxing.
“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,” he said. “This isn’t goodbye, this is the end of one fight and the beginning of another.”
He added, “I gave this sport every breath I had. Every scar, every triumph, every ounce of my heart. I’ve made peace with what’s next. And now, it’s time. Thank you.”
He shared the video on X, formerly known as Twitter, to supportive fans.
“Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove,” he wrote.
https://twitter.com/terencecrawford/status/2001064810709205400
https://twitter.com/RGIII/status/2001090813166506192
https://twitter.com/suayrez/status/2001086303912288557
https://twitter.com/OmerOsman200/status/2001073908934431178
https://twitter.com/TedWKemp/status/2001204349708423311
Crawford won 18 world titles across five weight classes during his career.
According to The Guardian, Crawford’s triumphant career began when he made his professional debut in 2008. Six years later, he snagged the WBO lightweight crown after defeating Scotland’s Ricky Burns. The 38-year-old, who, per ESPN, struggled to generate as much industry excitement as his counterparts, went on to win 18 world titles in five weight classes — crescendoing in September when Crawford defeated legendary Mexican fighter Canelo Álvarez and won the undisputed super middleweight crown.
“Welcome to the Terence Crawford Era,” he wrote on Instagram after the career-defining victory.
