Five-division champion Terence Crawford said Tuesday that he has retired from boxing.
The announcement came just three months after Crawford became the only boxer in the four-belt era to become an undisputed champion in three weight classes, accomplishing the feat when he defeated Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight championship in September.
Crawford posted on social media that he was "walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove."
"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," Crawford said on his YouTube channel. "This isn't goodbye, this is the end of one fight and the beginning of another."
He added: "I gave this sport every breath I had. Every scar, every triumph, every ounce of my heart. I've made peace with what's next. And now, it's time. Thank you."
Crawford, 38, retires with a 42-0 record, with 31 wins coming by knockout. In addition to being undisputed at super middleweight, he became undisputed in the welterweight division when he defeated Errol Spence Jr. by knockout in July 2023, and was the undisputed champion of the junior welterweight division when he stopped Julius Indongo in August 2017.
Crawford has held 18 major world championships across five weight classes: lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight, junior middleweight and super middleweight. He topped ESPN's Top 100 fighters of 2025 and retired as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
"I spent my whole life chasing something," Crawford said. "Not belts, not money, not headlines. But that feeling, the one you get when the world doubts you and you keep showing up and you keep proving everyone wrong."
Fighting out of Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford made his professional debut in 2008 after falling short in his bid to make the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. His debut wasn't met with as much fanfare as those of his peers, and he flew under the radar until he stepped in on three days' notice to face Breidis Prescott for his first televised fight in the co-main event of the Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado 2 card on HBO in 2013. He easily outpointed Prescott and went on to win his first major world title by defeating Ricky Burns for the WBO lightweight title in 2014.
Crawford struggled to land fights with the bigger names in boxing and split from Top Rank following his 2021 stoppage win over Shawn Porter. The move paid off, and Crawford signed a deal to face unified welterweight champion Spence to determine an undisputed champion. In a breakout performance, he dominated Spence, cementing his place as one of the best fighters of his generation.
But Crawford wasn't content and pursued a fight with Alvarez, who competed three weight classes above him at 168 pounds. After defeating Israil Madrimov in his lone fight at 154 pounds in 2024, Crawford secured a September fight with Alvarez.
Although he competed with a size disadvantage, Crawford brilliantly outboxed Alvarez and won a unanimous decision. There was speculation that Crawford would seek a fourth undisputed title at 160 pounds or fight YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul, but Crawford opted for retirement instead.