Terence Crawford: 'I Fought for Legacy.'

A Sudden, Final Exit

Crawford’s appearance came just months after he stunned the boxing world by announcing his retirement in December. At the time, he was openly considering a middleweight campaign that could have made him a six-division champion, while Canelo Álvarez the sport’s biggest star and the man Crawford defeated in September had expressed interest in a rematch once fully recovered from surgery later this year. Instead, Crawford walked away.

He retires unbeaten, as an undisputed super middleweight champion and widely recognized pound-for-pound king leaving no unfinished business behind. Addressing lingering questions about his decision, Crawford spoke candidly about the toll of the sport and his reasons for stepping away.

“A lot of people keep asking me why I retired,” Crawford said. “I’ve been doing this sport since I was seven years old. I retired at 38. Ask yourself: if you’ve been taking your body through hell for 30 years, would you retire? That’s why I retired.”

Crawford made it clear that legacy not money guided every decision in his career. “There is nothing else left for me to accomplish in the sport of boxing,” he said. “I gave my all to boxing, but I’m not going to give my health to boxing.

“If I were to come back, who would I fight? I have nobody to fight and nothing to accomplish. That would mean I’m just coming back for the sport and money. I never fought for money. I fought for legacy.”

On a night meant to honor the best in boxing, Crawford’s words underscored why his name now sits comfortably among the sport’s immortals no comeback required.