Terence Crawford has seemingly made his decision, and it sounds like good news for fans of the undisputed super middleweight champion.
Crawford did not give much away regarding his future after a monumental result this past Saturday at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.
In the main event of a Netflix card promoted by UFC CEO Dana White and Turki Alalshikh, Crawford defeated the legendary Canelo Alvarez. In the aftermath of a victory that has cemented his status as an all-time great, the 37-year-old wouldn’t close the door to potential retirement.
“Like I said before, I don’t know,” Crawford said post-fight regarding the possibility of hanging up his gloves. “I got to sit down with my team and we’re going to talk about it.”
Now, it seems ‘Bud’ has done just that and made his decision.
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Terence Crawford’s trainer reveals his retirement decision
Having moved up two weight classes and pulled off a memorable upset to become the first male boxer in the four-belt era to win the undisputed championship in three weight divisions, many are wondering what could come next for Crawford.
From a crossover match with UFC champion Ilia Topuria to Turki Alalshikh’s apparent preference, David Benavidez, to Crawford’s long-discussed showdown with rising star Vergil Ortiz, a number of options have been floated in recent days.
The key to any of them is the continuation of the Omaha native’s active career, and his trainer Brian McIntyre revealed where his fighter stands on retirement following the victory over Alvarez.
“Of course,” McIntyre replied when asked by Fight Hub TV if Crawford wants to fight again.
“I’d like to see him get some rest, spend some time with his family. Holidays are coming up, maybe do a little traveling, then get back in the gym and assess where he’s at after that.
“He’s a damn good fighter. I love working with him,” McIntyre continued. “If he says, ‘Let’s go two, three more times,’ let’s go two, three more times.”
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Terence Crawford has already shut down one opponent option
Even before Saturday’s super fight, Crawford already addressed one potential matchup, and his assessment doesn’t bode well for the Riyadh Season lead.
Alalshikh teased Crawford vs David Benavidez following ‘Bud’s’ win over Alvarez, but the newly crowned undisputed super middleweight king shut that down earlier this year.
“My thing is, Benavidez is a big dude,” Crawford said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. “Not to say I won’t fight him, I fought his brother. His brother was big when I fought him. The only reason why I entertain Canelo is because he’s not a big dude. He might be thick but he’s not a big dude.
“Benavidez is like six foot something, then he’s gonna come in 190, 200 (pounds) maybe, you know what I mean?
“You never know, that’s a big dude…I might as well go to heavyweight if I fight Benavidez,” Crawford added.