Don't doubt Terence Crawford, even in his retirement from boxing

"Don't doubt Terence Crawford. It's what fueled him all these years. It's what made him the undisputed champion at 140, 147 and 168 pounds. It's what made him the greatest fighter on the planet (no disrespect to Oleksandr Usyk, for whom a case can also be made). And now, in violation of almost every boxing convention, it's allowed him to retire on his own terms, undefeated at the very top of the game, coming off his signature win."

""What strikes me the most about where Terence is, the place that I was fortunate enough to get to -- with your legacy, your faculties and your fortune intact -- is that you've defeated the greatest opponent any fighter could face, an opponent that has defeated many of the greatest fighters ever to live," Ward told me Tuesday night. "You have defeated the sport itself. You have defeated the doubters, injury, praise and criticism. You have overcome risk: that single punch that can change your legacy and your life. This is rare air. You've beaten boxing.""

Terence Crawford retired undefeated at age 38, stepping away despite entering his financial prime and potentially leaving about $100 million on the table. He held undisputed titles at 140, 147 and 168 pounds and was widely regarded as the greatest fighter on the planet. The decision allowed him to exit at the top after a signature win and parallels Andre Ward's similarly timed retirement in 2017. Ward praised Crawford for overcoming doubt, injury, praise, criticism and the ever-present risk that a single punch can alter legacy. Boxing commonly traps fighters through ego, size and age disadvantages, and revenue imbalances.

Read at ESPN.com