Terence Crawford retires: ‘Bud,’ boxing’s pound-for-pound king, walks away at 42-0

Terence Crawford, boxing’s pound-for-pound king, announced his retirement from the sport on Tuesday evening with a perfect 42-0-0 record, with 31 wins coming by way of knockout. 

A five-division champion in his career, Crawford held the title of undisputed champion at junior welterweight, welterweight and super middleweight — the first male fighter in the four-belt era to accomplish such a feat. Only Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya claimed world titles in more weight classes than Crawford, who was a perfect 20-0 (15 KOs) in title fights. 

He will go out on top in a way few boxers do, with his final fight being a sensational unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez to claim the undisputed super middleweight crown and ascend to the top of the pound-for-pound ranks. 

Crawford released a video on his YouTube channel announcing his decision and thanking his fans, haters and opponents for their role in pushing him to greatness while noting he’s “at peace” with his decision to walk away from the sport at 38 years old. 

“You just never know when. I spent my whole life chasing something. Not belts. Not money. Not headlines. But that feeling, that one you get when the world doubts you, but you keep showing up and you keep proving everyone wrong,” Crawford said. 

“This sport gave me everything. 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. And I did it all my way. I gave this sport every breath I have. Every scar. Every triumph. Every ounce of my heart. And I’ve made peace with what’s next. 

“Now, it’s time. Thank you.”

Boxing retirements always come with an asterisk as we’ve seen countless fighters lured back to the ring, but at this moment, Crawford walks away from the sport on top, with no mountains left to climb. 

As he notes in his video, the chase was always what drove him in the ring, and having reached the summit he feels it’s time to step away and live life outside of boxing.