This month, WBC unexpectedly stripped Terence Crawford of his title, which already caused a ruckus in the boxing world. But nobody in their wildest dreams imagined ‘Bud’ retiring from the sport, especially at the peak of his career. Crawford’s widely unpredicted decision has already drawn mixed reactions, and now, Jake Paul has accused the former undisputed middleweight champ of faking his retirement.

“He’s not retired, bro. You guys have seen this millions of times in boxing. He’s not retired. I mean, he’s got everyone talking about him now because of that. So, smart play by Terrance.” ‘El Gallo’ told MMA Fighting.

Well, Jake Paul definitely likes to stir the pot with his comments, but this time, the YouTuber-boxer has a point. We have seen Tyson Fury edging towards retirement multiple times and then coming back when there’s a high-stakes fight. Most recently, ‘The Gypsy King’ retired after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch, and now, the English heavyweight is looking to come back in 2026.

However, Crawford’s case might be a little different. His fight is with one of the most coveted sanctioning bodies, and not rebounding from a loss. As most of the fans know by now, the former undisputed super middleweight champ has a massive rift with the WBC over not paying the mandatory sanctioning fee. So, unless that dispute gets resolved, the undefeated boxer’s return to the ring looks a bit tough.

Now, as the backlash has been going on with Jake Paul calling a cap on Crawford’s retirement, then Oscar De La Hoya essentially labeling him as Dana White’s mouthpiece for rebelling against the system, the boxing world is heated. However, some well-wishes are still pouring in for the former undisputed super middleweight champion. 

Andre Ward praises Terence Crawford for walking away on his terms 

Although ‘Bud’s retirement played out how his fans wanted, it was definitely an emotional send-off. Terence Crawford announced the end of the “Crawford Era” on Instagram, that included a short video and a picture of hung gloves, definitely a touching post. Reacting to his retirement, the former super middleweight champ praised the 38-year-old for leaving the sport on his own terms

 “Salute to a real one … Bud beat one of the toughest opponents any fighter will ever face: the sport itself! Yes lawd! Leaving this brutal, demanding, unforgiving sport on your own terms is going to continue to be fashionable. Retire from boxing, don’t let boxing retire you.” Ward said on Instagram.

Well, the American boxing legend didn’t outright say it, but he seems to be on board with Crawford taking retirement rather than meeting the sanctioning body’s terms, showing his support for this bold decision. However, whether ‘Bud’s decision stays intact or not, only time will tell.

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Currently, the WBC has decided to move on with Christian M’Billi against British contender Hamzah Sheeraz for the super middleweight title, and who knows, the winner of this matchup could actually face Terence Crawford if the dispute dies down in the future with the WBC. If not, then we might also see ‘Bud’ coming back under the TKO banner. So, some really good possibilities are still there for the former champ. 

That said, what do you think? Would Terence Crawford ultimately make a return to the ring? Or is he retired for real? Let us know in the comments section below.