The retirement of any high-profile fighter comes with an asterisk attached — and Terence Crawford’s is no different.
Crawford bowed out of the sport last month and did so on his own terms, retiring undefeated as a three-weight undisputed champion. His spotless record places him alongside the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Joe Calzaghe and Rocky Marciano — fighters who left boxing with no official blemish on their ledgers.
His final appearance came at Allegiant Stadium last September, where Crawford overcame the challenge of super-middleweight king Canelo Alvarez. Even at 38, he looked every bit as sharp and authoritative as he had at any point in his career, leading many to believe there was still more left in the tank. However, in recent interviews, Crawford has insisted there was nothing left for him to achieve.
History suggests retirements in boxing are rarely final until Father Time delivers the decisive blow. A tempting offer, particularly one too lucrative to refuse, has been enough to lure many legends back through the ropes.
Few know that reality better than Roy Jones Jr. The former multi-weight champion unretired on several occasions during his own storied career and recently told the Clubhouse Boxing podcast what he believes could bring Crawford back.
“It’s hard to say because with what Turki [Alalshikh] pays people nowadays, if Turki offer him the right money, I’m sure he’ll come back.”
Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season have transformed boxing’s financial landscape, bringing the sport’s biggest fights to Saudi Arabia alongside eye-watering purses. Prizefighting, after all, remains exactly that — and Jones believes even the most resolute retiree would struggle to ignore the right proposal.
“It’s opportunity. If you still good, nobody ever beat you and you feel you can beat most of the people out there and he going to give you an astronomical amount of money to do it. Why would you leave that on the table?”
For now, Crawford insists his legacy is complete. But in a sport where opportunity and temptation often collide, the door may not be quite as closed as it seems.
