Boxing legend Terence Crawford has hung up the gloves, as he showed in a surprise social media announcement Tuesday.
Crawford, 38, posted a five-minute career highlight video, where he narrated a retrospective on his career.
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“I’ve been blessed to live out a dream that started long before the lights, the fans, or the world titles,” Crawford wrote in the caption. From Omaha to the biggest stages in boxing, every step of this journey was earned through sacrifice, discipline, and faith. I gave this sport everything I had. I faced the best, moved through weight classes, and made history on my own terms. 42-0. 3x Undisputed. 5 Division World Champion. No shortcuts. No excuses. This isn’t goodbye to boxing… it’s a thank you. Thank you to my family, my team, my city, and the fans who rode with me through every chapter. Thank you to the sport for shaping the man I am today. The gloves may have come off, but legacy is forever. History is never retired.”
If this is permanently the end of Crawford’s professional boxing career, he finishes with a perfect 42-0 record. He recently vacated his WBC super middleweight bout citing sanctioning fees and his future was uncertain. Now, it seems more clear.
Nebraska’s Crawford is the only male boxer in the four belt era to hold undisputed titles in three divisions: lightweight, welterweight, and super welterweight. His final boxing bout was an upset title challenge up a weight class, when he defeated Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision in September. The bout took place in a sold-out Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Notable career wins for Crawford include Canelo, Errol Spence Jr., Jeff Horn, Amir Khan, Shawn Porter, and so many others.
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“I’m stepping away from competition not because I’m done fighting but because I won a different kind of battle, the one where you walk away on your own terms,” Crawford said in the video.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Boxing great Terence Crawford announces shocking retirement
