Legendary broadcaster Jim Lampley believes Terence Crawford will remain retired after the undefeated champion officially called time on his career earlier this month. Crawford announced on December 16 that he was moving on from boxing, and Lampley says he sees no reason to expect a reversal from a fighter defined by discipline and personal resolve.
Lampley placed Crawford among the greatest welterweights in boxing history, noting that most of his defining achievements came at 147 pounds. Crawford went 8-0 with eight knockouts in the division, culminating in a dominant ninth-round stoppage of Errol Spence Jr. in July 2023 to become undisputed champion in what was widely viewed as a 50-50 fight. Lampley said that alone secured Crawford a place among the elite of a historically rich weight class.
However, Lampley identified Crawford’s final bout as the true pinnacle of his career. In September, Crawford moved up 14 pounds to defeat Saul “Canelo” Alvarez by unanimous decision, becoming the undisputed super middleweight champion. According to Lampley, that victory represents a career-defining achievement that is difficult to surpass in terms of public impact and legacy.
While boxing history is filled with champions who returned after retirement declarations, Lampley believes Crawford is different. He compared him to Andre Ward, who retired undefeated at age 33 following his stoppage win over Sergey Kovalev in 2017 and has resisted multiple comeback rumors since. Lampley sees Crawford and Ward as fighters cut from the same cloth.
After initially expressing skepticism, Lampley says he has come to trust Crawford’s word. He praised Crawford’s self-definition, mental strength, and ability to overcome adversity, concluding that Crawford has nothing left to prove and that stepping away now is a powerful end to one of boxing’s most remarkable careers.
Image Credit: Netflix