World’s finest boxer Terence Crawford quits after being stripped of title and X-rated rant
Terence Crawford has announced his retirement from boxing after claiming he has “nothing else left to prove” in the sport – weeks after a furious rant over being stripped of one of his titles.
Crawford, 38, will retire with an unblemished 42-0 record – most recently making history in September when he beat Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez to become the first male fighter in the modern era to hold undisputed titles in three weight divisions – taking the title of best pound-for-pound boxer in the process.
In a five-and-a-half minute video posted on his YouTube channel, the American said “every fighter knows this moment would come,” but added “you just never know when”. He said: “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.
(Image: AP)
“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 that had nothing but a dream and a pair of gloves, and I did it all my way.
“I gave this sport every breath I have, every spar, every triumph, every ounce of my heart. I’ve made peace with what’s next. Now, it’s time. Thank you.”
Crawford turned pro in 2008 and won titles in four weight classes – lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight and super welterweight – before moving up two more weight divisions for the bout against Alvarez.
However, after the bout the WBC decided to strip in him of his title. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman announced earlier this month that he had lost recognition as the super middleweight champion over unpaid sanctioning fees.
(Image: Getty Images for Netflix)
Sulaiman claimed Crawford was unwilling to hand over $300,000 to the WBC and it was a “slap in the face”.
Crawford hit back with an explosive rant on Instagram live: “I saw Mauricio had a lot to say about me not paying him $300,000, plus another $100,000-something for sanctioning fees. And he said that I didn’t apologize
“Who the f*** do you think I am? Boy, you better slap your f******* self. I ain’t paying your a**** s***. What makes you so much better than the other sanctioning bodies? Answer that question – but you.
(Image: Al Bello/Getty Images)
“You, the WBC, think you are better than everybody, don’t you? You have the green belt, which don’t mean f******* s***. The f****** real belt is The Ring belt, which is free m********… You can take the f***ing belt. It’s a trophy anyway.
“I’m the m******* that is putting his life on the line, not you… It irks my nerves that this dude gets on a plane, gets a hotel suite for him and his buddies, they go out for five-star meals and dinners and all of that, and guess who has to pay for it? Us fighters.
“We are paying for you to come out here and have the time of your life. It’s all done on our dime.
“Does that sound right to y’all? It’s crazy, ain’t it, that we have to pay them a sanctioning fee like they are the government, and we’re getting taxed.”
