IMAGO / Torsten Helmke

Terence Crawford Gives Cryptic 5-Word Message On Retiring After Canelo Alvarez Fight

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated May 28, 2025 5:00 PM ET

While the megafight between pound-for-pound greats Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford was initially scheduled for September 12, the fight's date has now been moved to September 13. However, little changes for the two main event fighters, as they'll still be training for months to showcase the best version of themselves in the ring and ideally add a legendary name to their resumé.

An interesting aspect of the pre-fight discussion is about which of these fighters has more tread on their tires, so to speak, and whether either is close to the end of their career.

Many believe that Canelo is probably closer to retirement than Crawford, given that he has 64 professional fights and likely hundreds of amateur bouts under his belt. Not to mention that he and his family are more than set for life, given all the money he has made.

However, despite all of those fights, Crawford is still the older fighter. He will be about two weeks away from turning 38 years old when this Canelo fight takes place (compared to Canelo being 35), and his 41 professional fights are nothing to scoff at.

Canelo Álvarez vs Terence Crawford stat breakdown

Who wins this❔ pic.twitter.com/SzGQRpBOg1
— Source of Boxing (@Sourceofboxing) May 19, 2025

In other words, while there has been chatter about when Canelo's eventual retirement will come, not as much has been said about Crawford potentially hanging up the gloves after this lucrative superfight.

But Crawford sent an interesting message about this during a May 27 interview with Sporting News Australia.

"Who knows? We shall see," Crawford said with a coy smile when asked about whether this could be the final fight of his career.

If Crawford were to beat Canelo, there's no doubt that would be the crowning achievement of his career, and he would have absolutely nothing else to prove. Therefore, it would seemingly make sense for him to call it quits with a win, especially considering all the money he'll have added to his bank account.

But a win over Canelo would also prove that Crawford still has a ton left to offer the sport. At the end of the day, only Crawford knows what his future will hold.

This article first appeared on KO on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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