Terence Crawford considers himself the greatest fighter of his generation, but admits the all-time number one spot belongs to another man.
The 38-year-old called time on his glittering career last December, several months after he became a three-division undisputed champion against Canelo Alvarez.
Prior to their September showdown, many questioned whether Crawford, who claimed his first world title at 135lbs, would have the frame to compete at super-middleweight.
As it happened, though, the masterful technician was able to outbox Canelo through large spells of their contest, before claiming a convincing unanimous decision victory.
Elsewhere in his career, Crawford unified all four major titles at 147lbs by producing a surprisingly dominant performance against Errol Spence Jr, stopping him with a ninth-round onslaught in 2023.
As a five-weight world champion, ‘Bud’ is now regarded as one of the most accomplished fighters of his era, while also going down as an all-time great.
But while Crawford agrees with how his legacy is perceived by others, he ultimately believes that Muhammad Ali was the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in history.
In an interview on the The Rich Eisen Show, which was recorded ahead of his retirement, the American insisted that the all-time No.1 spot still belongs to Ali.
“No [I’m not the greatest of all time]. I do think I’m the best right now but, the greatest of all time – that’s Muhammad Ali’s spot.”
Ali is a popular choice in the “greatest ever” debate, having fought and defeated many of the top heavyweights of his era, including Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston, as well as securing a famous upset victory over George Foreman in the bout billed as the “Rumble in the Jungle.”
