Speculation has been rife since Terence Crawford announced his departure from boxing. A masterful performance saw Crawford dismantle Canelo Alvarez, become the first three-division undisputed champion in men’s boxing, and leapfrog Oleksandr Usyk in the pound-for-pound rankings. Yet the Nebraskan wizard’s latest undisputed reign proved fleeting.

On December 3, the WBC announced it was stripping Crawford of its title for non-payment of a $300,000 sanctioning fee. As fans were still processing the shock, another bombshell dropped two weeks later: Crawford confirmed his retirement from boxing via his YouTube channel. With Naoya Inoue delivering a record-making performance, boxing closed the year on a high note, as the sport’s top pound-for-pound stars produced era-defining moments in quick succession. Yet as the calendar turns, boxing appears to be entering a changed landscape. While Usyk and Inoue continue to carve out their legacies, the road ahead will be one without Terence Crawford.

Terence Crawford breaks his silence on retirement

However, Crawford took it upon himself to clear the air surrounding his sudden departure from the sport in which he had achieved so much. Now holding only the WBA super middleweight title, Crawford addressed his decision during an interview with Adin Ross.

Reflecting on the announcement, the Kick live streamer asked whether the controversial belt situation had played a role. “You do it because of the belt situation?” Ross wondered. “No, not at all,” Crawford replied, dismissing the idea outright. Making such a decision based on the WBC’s move alone, he explained, would have been foolish.

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Instead, his reasoning centered on age. Two weeks after defeating Canelo, Crawford turned 38, an advanced age in a sport that relentlessly favors youth. Surprised, Ross suggested that Crawford was still young. But the fighter disagreed. “38 is old in boxing. I’ve been boxing since I was seven,” Crawford said.

More importantly, he felt he had nothing left to prove. “I have nothing else to accomplish. You know, it’s like, what more can I do?”

The day Terence Crawford chose himself

Had he continued, Crawford believes, he would likely not have received the credit he deserved. Now curious, Ross pressed further. Why would anyone deny Crawford his due? Few fighters, after all, have assembled a resume as accomplished as his. Crawford pointed to the paradox of dominance. When a fighter consistently outclasses opponents, critics are quick to claim those opponents were faded or past their prime.

In his YouTube address, Crawford echoed the same sentiment. “I’m stepping away from competition, not because I’m done fighting but because I’ve won a different kind of battle. The one where you walk away on your own terms. This isn’t goodbye; this is the end of one fight and the beginning of another.”

Finishing his career unbeaten at 42–0, with 31 wins coming by stoppage, Crawford retires as the only male boxer to have won undisputed championships across three weight classes. While the WBC’s decision may have left a bitter note, Crawford appears at peace. He leaves the sport as a man who recognizes his age in a young man’s game and who has already achieved what most fighters can only dream of.