LEGACY DEFINED: WHY DID TERENCE CRAWFORD RETIRE AFTER THE CANELO MASTERCLASS
Following his dominant win over Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford retires at 38. We ask: Is his 42-0 record the greatest in history?
Terence Crawford, the record-breaking champ in three weight classes, has retired from boxing at 38.
Bud Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) told fans on social media yesterday that he's hanging up his gloves. "Walking away as a great with nothing else to prove," he said.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 28, 1987, the 5'8" Crawford became one of boxing's all-time greats. He won titles in four weight divisions and became the undisputed champ in three.
Crawford is the only boxer to hold The Ring Magazine titles in four divisions. He's also one of just three fighters, along with Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, to be a four-weight lineal champion.
In his 17 years as a pro, Crawford was never knocked down. No judge ever scored a fight in favour of his opponent.
He had eleven straight KOs in title fights, which is the third-longest streak ever. The Ring Magazine ranked him as the #3 pound-for-pound boxer of this century.
Crawford started boxing at seven. He had been kicked out of five schools for fighting. With his dad often away with the Navy, his mom raised him alone. A neighbour, Carl Washington, took him to the C.W. Boxing Club in North Omaha, where he coached. There, Crawford met Midge Minor, who became his mentor. Minor would even pick him up from school to make sure he trained and stayed out of trouble.
Crawford also wrestled when he was younger, and it shows in his boxing style. In 2001, Brian Bo Mac McIntrye and Esau Dieguez became his trainers and stayed with him for 24 years.
Crawford's last fight was against Canelo Alvarez. He moved up from super-welterweight to super-middleweight and beat the champ by decision in front of 41 million viewers.
Crawford is retiring at the top, just like he said, with nothing left to achieve.
Achievements
2006 Blue & Gold National Championships gold medal
2006 Golden Gloves silver medal
2006 U.S. National PAL Championships gold medal
2006 U.S. National Championships bronze medal
2007 U.S. National Championships bronze medal
2007 U.S. Pan American Box-Offs gold medal
2007 Pan American Games Qualifier bronze medal
NABO lightweight title
WBO lightweight title
The Ring lightweight title
WBO super-lightweight title
WBC super-lightweight title
The Ring super-lightweight title
WBA super super-lightweight title
IBF super-lightweight title
WBO welterweight title
WBA Super Welterweight Title
WBC welterweight title
IBF welterweight title
The Ring welterweight title
WBA super-welterweight title
WBO Interim super-welterweight title
WBA super super-middleweight title
WBC super-middleweight title
IBF super-middleweight title
WBO super-middleweight title
The Ring super-middleweight title
Awards
Sugar Ray Robinson Award 2014
Best Fighter ESPY Award 2018
Best Boxer ESPY Award 2024
2× ESPN Fighter of the Year 2014, 2017
4× ESPN Top 100: #2 (2022), #1 (2023), #3 (2024)
BoxingScene American Boxer of the Decade (2020s) 2025
The Ring magazine Performance of the Year 2023
WBC Performance of the Year 2023
5× WBO Fighter of the Year 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2025
WBO Most Fighter 2015
2× WBO Fight of the Year 2014, 2023
WBO Triple Crown Award 2018
WBO Most Consistent and Champion 2019
WBO Gordon Volkman Award 2015
4× WBA Boxer of the Month: August 2017, July 2023, August 2024, September 2025
Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame Fighter of the Year 2018
The RING 8 Muhammad Ali International Fighter of the Year 2018
Sports Illustrated Prospect of the Year 2013
Bleacher Report Breakout Fighter of the Year 2014
Forbes Fighter of the Year 2017
Sporting News Men's Fighter of the Year 2023
Boxing News World Fighter of the Year 2023
CBS Sports Fighter of the Year 2014
HBO Fighter of the Year 2014
2× Yahoo! Sports Fighter of the Year 2017, 2023
2× Top Rank Fighter of the Year 2014, 2015
Top Rank Fight of the Year 2014
Top Rank Knockout of the Year 2014
Premier Boxing Champions Performance of the Year 2023
Metro Performance of the Year 2023
Boxing Junkie Fighter of the Year 2023
BOXRAW Knockout of the Year 2022
Boxing Insider Fighter of the Year 2023
WBN Stoppage of the Year 2023
The Sweet Science Performance of the Year 2023
Frontproof Media Fighter of the Year 2023
ProBox TV Fighter of the Year 2023
ProBox TV Performance of the Year 2023
The Queensberry Rules Fighter of the Year 2014
Pro Boxing Fans Fighter of the Year 2014
Pro Boxing Fans Round of the Year 2014
Pro Boxing Fans Breakout Performance of the Year 2014
Fight Hype Star in the Making 2013
Honors
The Omaha City Council declared Tuesday, March 4, 2014, as Terence Bud Crawford Day.
2× Key to the City of Omaha, Nebraska: 2014, 2025
The Shadow League Leadership Award 2015
Omaha Public Schools (OPS) Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2022
University of Nebraska Omaha Spirit of the Maverick Award 2025
Crawford received a hand-stitched quilt from the Black Brown and Red Coalition, one of the highest honours from the Omaha Tribe, on October 22, 2025.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
