Terence Crawford, world's No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, announces surprise retirement

Adam Hill, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Dec 16, 2025

Published in Boxing

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LAS VEGAS — The first boxing match at Allegiant Stadium might be the last in the storied career of undefeated star Terence Crawford.

In a five-minute video posted on his YouTube page Tuesday, the 38-year-old Nebraska native announced his retirement from the sport three months after moving up to super middleweight to capture the unified world title with a win over Canelo Alvarez at the home of the Raiders.

“I gave this sport everything I had,” Crawford wrote in a statement that accompanied the video. “I faced the best, moved through weight classes and made history on my own terms. Forty-two and zero. Three-time undisputed. Five-division world champion. No shortcuts. No excuses. This isn’t a goodbye, 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.”

Crawford’s win over Alvarez on Sept. 13 drew a crowd of 70,482, by far the most to attend a live boxing event in Nevada and the second-most ever in the United States.

It was reportedly watched by more than 40 million on Netflix, as Crawford became the first male fighter to hold all the world titles at three weight classes in his career.

Crawford is currently the No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound boxer in the world, according to The Ring Magazine.

“Every fighter knows this moment will come. You just never know when,” the history-making champion said in the video. “I spent my whole life chasing something. Not belts, not money, not headlines. But that feeling, the one you get when the world doubts you, but you keep showing up and you keep proving everyone wrong. This sport gave me everything. I fought for my family, I fought for my city. I fought for the kid I used to be, the one who had nothing but a dream and a pair of gloves. And I did it all my way. I gave this sport every breath I had.

“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, it’s just the end of one fight and the beginning of another.”