Trainer Greg Hackett does not believe Terence Crawford’s retirement should be treated as permanent and says there is still a realistic chance the 38-year-old returns to boxing.
Crawford has maintained that his career is over, but Hackett believes too little time has passed to assume the decision is final. He pointed to boxing’s long history of retired fighters returning after relatively short absences.
“I’m not believing that Bud is retired,” Hackett said. “I don’t believe Bud is retired.”
Hackett specifically mentioned Jaron “Boots” Ennis, arguing that Ennis should not yet speak about Crawford as though a future fight is completely impossible. In his view, Crawford could easily change his mind if another major opportunity or payday becomes available.
“Bud could wake up one day and say, ‘I’m bored. Let’s go get some boxing money. Who wants to fight?’” Hackett said.
He believes the situation would be different if Crawford stayed away for several years, but for now he considers the retirement announcement too recent to be definitive.
If Crawford does return, Hackett believes Ennis would remain one of the most obvious potential opponents, with the matchup immediately becoming one of the biggest fights available.
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