"Terence Bud Crawford has always fought like a man who wanted to leave no room for argument. Not simply to win, but to win so cleanly that dissent collapses on contact. So his retirement announcement on Tuesday didn't feel like a sudden fade-out so much as the closing of a file: tidy, decisive, signed in his own hand. Three months after scaling two weight divisions to outclass Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas and become the undisputed super-middleweight champion,"
"In the cruellest sport, that is rarer than a perfect record. Boxing is purpose-built to keep you in. To lure you back with one more payday, one more belt, one more chance to settle a score that only exists because the promoters or the public insist it should. The hurt business has never been conducive to happy endings. The preferred vernacular is violent or sad or compromised: a stoppage you don't see coming, a dubious decision, a diminished version of yourself preserved forever"
"The 38-year-old Crawford, undefeated in 42 professional fights with 31 wins by knockout, is leaving with no such asterisks. No late-career survival acts. No sense of erosion. He exits while still clearly the best fighter in the world only Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk are in the conversation fresh off the biggest win of his career, with opportunity still rapping loudly at the door."
Terence Bud Crawford retired at 38 undefeated in 42 professional fights, with 31 knockouts. He became undisputed super-middleweight champion after outclassing Canelo Alvarez and retired three months later on his own terms. He departs without late-career survival acts, erosion, or asterisks, remaining clearly among the best fighters in the world. No judge ever scored in favor of an opponent during his career. Boxing often lures fighters back for paydays or belts, but Crawford exited at his peak, having succeeded across five weight classes and earning recognition as the top pound-for-pound fighter.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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