Terence Crawford retires from boxing: ‘Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove’

Terence “Bud” Crawford may have already thrown his final punch.

The multi-division, undefeated boxing champion posted a message on social media along with a video on YouTube effectively announcing his retirement from fighting. While he never actually used the word “retired” and potentially left the door open for a return, the caption on his original post read “Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove.”

In the video that accompanied his post, Crawford rattled off numerous thank you’s to past trainers, supporters and promoters. At 42-0, Crawford is certainly one of the most accomplished boxers of this generation and he’ll definitely be remembered as an all-time great if this really is the end of his fighting career.

“I gave this sport every breath I had,” Crawford said in the video. “Every scar. Every triumph. Every ounce of my heart. I’ve made peace with what’s next. Now it’s time.

“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.”

The cryptic message is obviously left up to some interpretation if Crawford is just declaring his retirement from combat sports or possibly teasing something else for the future.

Most recently, Crawford scored a dominant win over Canelo Alvarez in a showdown between two champions with the fight airing on Netflix with more than 41 million viewers witnessing the 12-round battle. Despite going up two weight classes for the fight, Crawford effectively dismantled Canelo, connecting with the better punches throughout and never really finding himself in any danger whatsoever.

When it was over, Crawford secured the unanimous decision victory while being crowned as a four-division champion after capturing the super middleweight title.

If this is the end, Crawford retires with a unblemished 42-0 record with numerous undisputed championships and a long list of awards during his storied career.