Terence Crawford, widely considered one of the greatest boxers to have ever lived, has announced his retirement from professional boxing at the age of 38.
Crawford, over the length of his career, has won 18 different major world titles across five weight classes.
Crawford, who ended his career without a single defeat (42-0), announced his retirement in a 5-minute 28-second video he posted on his official YouTube channel. Check the video right here:
stepping away from competition, not because I'm done fighting, but because I've won a different type of battle,"
Terence Crawford: A look at his records
Crawford has retired as the reigning WBA, IBF, as well as WBO supermiddleweight champion. His last match was against another boxing legend, Mexico's Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, whom he defeated back in September in Las Vegas.
Crawford was recently stripped off the WBC super middleweight belt after disagreements over sanctioning fees, as per an AFP report.
Crawford, after Henry Jackson, became the only second player to have held the undisputed championship in three different weight categories.
He is also the only boxer ever to hold The Ring magazine championship in four different divisions.
Crawford was not knocked out even once, let alone be defeated, in his 17-year professional career.
He is one of the very few boxers to retire without a single loss or a draw in his career. Out of his 42 wins in 42 professional matches, a staggering 31 came from knockouts.
Quotes from retirement message
In his retirement message, Crawford said that his career was driven by a desire to to keep "proving everyone wrong."
"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," he said.
"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," he also said.
