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Terence Crawford have retired from boxing with Perfect records and secure legacyIn a business where very few people get the chance to have both.
Crawford is now 38, he is undefeated in 42 fights, and during his 18 years in the ring he won world titles at five different weights; he managed to become Undisputed Champion – holder of all four recognized belts – at three weights,
Crawford’s boxing career is over In front of over 70,000 people when he beat canelo alvarez Only three months ago, but it started in obscurity over four rounds in a hotel lounge. He was just another dreamer, a kid from Omaha with ambitions but no gimmicks.
Finally, in 2013, he got his break; He was 19-0 at the time, but had only competed in four-, six- and eight-round fights boxingThe lost and forgotten outposts of. In Las Vegas he faced devastating boxer Briedis Prescott. Crawford accepted the fight on short notice and won all 10 rounds, ending his long and difficult road to recognition. An unknown child had arrived from Omaha.
Just two fights and a year later, Crawford traveled to Scotland to defeat Ricky Burns and win the WBO lightweight title. Crawford was the underdog in that fight; It went the full 12 rounds, and was the beginning of a truly extraordinary streak of 20 consecutive world-title bouts. Crawford has said that Burns was “the biggest fight of my career”.
Crawford began his world-championship debut at lightweight and finished against Alvarez at super-middleweight. He moved up the divisions with ease and became undisputed champion at super-lightweight, welterweight and super-middleweight. Last summer he won the interim WBO super-lightweight title.
This means he dominated for 12 years, across a weight difference of 135 pounds to 168 pounds.
Crawford stopped or knocked out 15 of the 20 men he defeated in world-title bouts. He was best known as a boxer, but these stats make him a striking athlete.
The harsh truth is that it took a very long time for Crawford to become a high-profile champion. He was in good fights, often against good fighters, but at the time he lacked the respect he believed he deserved. It took a lot of time and struggle to get the respect he deserved.
Crawford blamed the promoters, and the promoters blamed Crawford. During his nasty split with Bob Arum, he said, “It’s his job to promote me.” It must be said that he was at times reluctant to embrace the glitzy side of the business. Arum retorted, “I lost money in his fights.”
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Crawford fought seven times at super-lightweight, also known as light-welterweight, and became the first undisputed champion in 2017. However, stoppage wins against the likes of Thomas Dulorme, Dearie Jean, Hank Lundy and Julius Indongo have hardly raised his profile outside the business. Nevertheless, his status within the game was high and his qualities were appreciated.
The move to welterweight in 2018 changed the decision and shifted the spotlight significantly towards him. The stoppage win over Amir Khan in six easy rounds at Madison Square Garden in 2019 was the type of win he needed – it was a win against a high-profile fighter, a guy with status, a guy with a name.
Then there was a trio of stoppage wins against a former champion and a major contender; These three fights, due to COVID, spanned three years and changed the way everyone in the business viewed Crawford. He stopped Kell Brook in four, Shawn Porter in 10 and David Avanesyan in six rounds.
It also helped that Crawford had a staunch and dangerous natural opponent at welterweight. Errol Spence Jr.Which held three other belts on weight.
Spence Jr. was undefeated in 28 fights, but had trouble outside the ring, and when they met in 2023 it was a ’50-50 fight’ in the billing. But, as it turned out, it was not a mismatch in the ring that night. Crawford earned a shutout ninth-round win and Spence Jr. was thrown out three times. Spence Jr. has not fought since, and Crawford has boxed only once each year for the last six years.
The simple method of conservation has helped them; Careful selection of bouts in his early championship reigns also helped Crawford age with ease. Now 38, he is not the type to struggle to recapture the speed and timing of his youth.
Last summer, Crawford had a tough 12-round victory over Israel Madrimov for the WBO interim super-lightweight title; It seemed as if his weight gain had reached its limit. On the night against Madrymov, he was 19 pounds heavier than in his first world-title fight a decade earlier against Burns. It felt as if Crawford’s power and skill had diminished as the weight increased, and he would no longer be able to move up.
Everyone was wrong – Crawford had a brilliant plan, a bye fight meant to defy sensible thinking.
He hibernated for about 10 months, agreed to terms for the Alvarez fight, added about 12 pounds of muscle to his back and shoulders, and put on a masterclass in front of over 70,000 people to become the undisputed champion at a third weight.
His retirement was a shock, but it makes sense. He is one of the best modern fighters. After obscure beginnings in the business, he is probably the last of the great fighters to rule his various weights with such glory.