With the surprise revelation that future hall-of-famer Terence Crawford is in training camp, and even sparring, with WBC Interim super middleweight champ Lester Martinez, speculation is growing that the currently retired Crawford may be planning a comeback.
Martinez, 20-0-1 (16 KOs), is with Nebraska-based trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre making final preparations to defend his interim title against Croatia’s Luka Plantic, 13-0 (10 KOs), on Saturday, August 29, live for ProBoxTV members only (8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT), from the Galen Center in Los Angeles (Join now for $5 a month).
Crawford, who also worked with McIntyre during his career, has been pictured recently hitting the pads and even in sparring gear with Martinez at McIntyre’s B&B Boxing Academy in Omaha.
Chris Algieri, Robert Garcia and Paulie Malignaggi, hosts of ProBoxTV’s now members only BoxingScene Today show on YouTube, are all in agreement… 38-year-old Crawford, 42-0 (31 KOs), is probably testing his body to see if it’s possible to return.
“Whenever you see a retired fighter in the gym, you always kind of think, ‘Is this guy looking to make a comeback,” started Algieri. “We see him training alongside Lester Martinez looking to help him get ready. I saw them both wearing sparring gear the other day. So, it makes you think, ‘is this guy tiptoeing with coming back?'”
“If we see a retired soccer player, he’s still going to go play soccer for fun,” answered Garcia. “If you see a basketball player, he’s still going to go play basketball with his kids and friends just for fun. But, when you see a retired boxer in the gym sparring and training… that’s a sign he’s trying to see how he feels about making a comeback, because boxing is a brutal sport and you don’t do it for fun. You do it because you are getting paid.”
Malignaggi also points out it’s not just the fact that Crawford is in sparring, it’s that Crawford, who hasn’t fought since winning a third career undisputed crown against Canelo Alvarez in September 2025, is in sparring with an interim world champion in fight shape, before a high-profile showdown.
“He’s not exactly sparring easy,” Malignaggi said. “There are some of the crazy fighters where they’ll spar after they retire, but they’ll be sparring light. They’re not going to put themselves in danger… In boxing, if you are doing it at a high level in the gym, it can still be risky to your health. Sparring can cause brain damage. It can cause detached retinas and things like that. When you see guys retired and they’re s sparring heavy. They’re not just working. Then, of course, you’ve got to start considering that there’s no way he’s just doing it for the fun… that means you are putting your best foot forward to get on a very high level and see… (how) his body reacts, day-to-day, in the camp with Lester.
“I would think that he’s (Crawford) much more in the ‘yes’ department than the ‘no’ department (on possibly coming back). It doesn’t mean he’s definitely coming back because, again, it’s going to depend on how he feels his body reacted and on what kind of offers are on the table if they tickle his fancy. But he’s definitely teasing it and he’s in the very least considering it. And I think the thing that makes me tilt to the yes, that he will fight again… He’s training like he’s training for a fight and to me, that tells me Crawford probably comes back.”
While all three experts and former world champions agree that Crawford could just be trolling, the possibility is getting more real that Crawford could be coming back to rematch Canelo, face Jaron “Boots” Ennis or find some other fight he feels will further cement his legacy.
