Terence Crawford may have retired from boxing. But that doesn’t mean he would allow anyone to cast aspersions on his resume – let alone a reigning world title holder. Boxing’s first and only 3-division undisputed champion among men, Crawford set his sights on Ryan Garcia, who has been calling him out for taking the easy way out by facing champions past their prime.

Garcia, who became a first-time world title holder last month, has been calling out names for his next matchup, starting with Shakur Stevenson. In doing so, the newly crowned light welterweight champion’s close friend and mentor, Terence Crawford, also caught a few strays. Garcia has since been on a social media run, claiming the Nebraskan switch-hitter is overrated and has avoided tougher hurdles. Crawford, however, flatly rejects that notion.

“Who really wanted some work?” Crawford wrote. “Please don’t say Vergil, Boots, or even you. So who (are) you talking about, sir?”

His response came shortly after Garcia’s remarks gained traction online. Replying to Crawford’s point that he was older than both Errol Spence Jr. and Canelo when he fought them, Ryan Garcia argued that younger fighters were waiting for opportunities to elevate their careers.

“I was talking boxing years, champ; there’s no doubt you have more in the tank than them,” Garcia wrote. “That is not a knock on you, though; you kept your body in top condition. But there are a lot of young, hungry fighters that wanted that work that you never let challenge you.”

He continued to build on that argument, suggesting that despite his achievements, Crawford may not have fully tested himself against the best and therefore didn’t completely define his legacy.

The criticism wasn’t new. Even before the recent exchange on X, Garcia had offered a sharper take on Crawford’s career.

Ryan Garcia takes a swing at Terence Crawford’s legacy

“I think that Terence hasn’t fought any young, hungry, talented fighters,” he said on the Creators Think Podcast. “And if you look at his resume, he fought what? Errol Spence. He was already older. He fought Canelo. Already old. Name one guy he fought that was a young lion. You can’t name him because he hasn’t done it. He didn’t fight Boots. He didn’t fight Vergil Ortiz. He hasn’t fought me. Devin, he just doesn’t fight anybody that’s hungry. It’s like the same hunger he has. That’s why he’s beating everyone.”

That stance, meanwhile, quickly drew attention. Several fans criticized Garcia for overlooking the depth of Crawford’s resume. One follower even dug up an old tweet in which Garcia praised Crawford after his standout performance against Canelo.

“Crawford has proved it; he’s arguably one of the best to ever lace up gloves,” Garcia had written.

From Garcia’s standpoint, the argument is consistent. As a first-time world title holder, who reached this stage after setbacks, including a year-long suspension, he appears to be viewing Crawford’s career strictly from his own perspective. At the same time, Garcia has faced several marquee names in recent years and continues to push for high-profile matchups.

In his view, given that Crawford faced what many consider a fading Spence and an older Canelo, he believes Crawford could have taken on reigning champions who were still in their prime, fighters gaining momentum, rather than stepping away.

Crawford, though, offered a subtle reminder of his own journey. On his Instagram Story, he shared an old screenshot showing him ranked above Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez.

“Sometimes I just gotta show people how long (I’ve) been doing this sh*t,” he wrote. “My time was coming; I just had to wait my turn, 2016.”