Why did Terence Crawford retire? Explaining boxing legend's decision to leave sport after Canelo Alvarez fight

Terence Crawford announced his retirement from boxing on Tuesday. If this is truly the end of his professional career, he will finish an impressive 42-0. 

Crawford is only 38 years old. "Bud" began his boxing career in 2008 and knocked out Brian Cummings in just 26 seconds. His most recent fight was against Canelo Alvarez in September 2025, and Crawford was awarded a unanimous decision after the fight went the distance. 

Retirements in the boxing world are taken with a grain of salt. Competitors often hang up their gloves, but come out of retirement for another marquee fight. There is also the option for Crawford to continue fighting in exhibitions like Floyd Mayweather. For now, though, Crawford appears to be putting down the gloves for good. 

Here is more on the surprise retirement announcement of one of boxing's best fighters. 

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Why did Terence Crawford retire?

Crawford's victory over Alvarez meant that he not only kept his perfect record but also added to his belt collection. After the unanimous decision win, he owned the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and "The Ring" super middleweight titles. 

In early December, it was announced that the WBC was stripping him of its super middleweight title for failing to pay mandatory fees to the sanctioning body, per ESPN.

In a statement, the WBC said, "The WBC sent multiple communications to Champion Crawford, his manager, and his legal counsel. Very unfortunately, the WBC did not receive an acknowledgment of receipt nor any response to any of those communications. The WBC had no choice but to act."

Crawford did not mince words in a fiery response video. He said, "I ain't paying yo ass s--. What makes you better than any of the other sanctioning bodies? What makes you better than the WBO, the IBF, or the WBA? Everybody accepted what I was giving them but you. You, the WBC, think that you're better than everybody... You want me to pay you more than the other sanctioning bodies because you feel like you're better than them."

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Terence Crawford tweet

Crawford posted his announcement to his official X account. In his own words, he said, "Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove."

Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove. #CrawfordERA #1P4P #3xUndisputed #5DivisionChampion #4xLinealChampion #BWAAFighterOfTheYear #2xEspyAwardWinnerhttps://t.co/GwK3TYnIz6 pic.twitter.com/4DElhAJXIg

— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) December 16, 2025

Terence Crawford boxing record

Crawford will finish his career with a perfect 42-0 record. 31 of his victories came by knockout, with only 11 coming down to a decision. His two most recent fights, against Alvarez and Israil Madrimov, both went the distance, but Crawford was awarded the unanimous decision in his favor. 

Over his career, Crawford held world titles in five different divisions, even becoming an undisputed champion in three different weight classes.