Terence Crawford insists he will not return to the ring and hasn’t received a serious offer to do so.
Comeback talk has naturally followed the 38-year-old since he announced his retirement three months after dethroning super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez last September to put the icing on a cake baked with 42 victories, 31 KOs, world titles in five divisions, and zero defeats.
“I’m happily retired, and I don’t see myself coming back,” Crawford told Ariel Helwani.
“I’ve been approached on a couple of occasions about a couple of fights but it wasn’t a serious conversation; children’s talk.”
Crawford doesn’t believe discussions he had with Conor McGregor were worth taking seriously either. McGregor had claimed that Crawford was offered a two-fight deal – one in MMA and one in boxing – worth $200m.
Not true, says Crawford about the conversations that occurred “pre-Canelo.”
“That was a lie,” Crawford said. “There was never no 200-million-dollar offer…
“That was never the case. He’s making up numbers.”
Crawford explained that, back then, he would have accepted the offer had it been a genuine one. But that ship has long since sailed.
“Yeah, I woulda did it. Why wouldn’t I?
“Back then, it would have been a good deal. Where I’m sitting at right now, I don’t need to do it. I’m in a different space in my life that I don’t have to take those fights. Back then, I probably would have took it.
“I’m not the best wrestler, but standing up, it’s only gonna take one shot and I’ll put him to sleep.”
Crawford, however, has never had any real interest in a switch to MMA.
“I always felt like the amount of trauma that [MMA fighters] gotta take their body through, and y’all got to endure for the least amount of money, it’s not smart,” he said. “It don’t make sense to me.”
McGregor was beaten by Floyd Mayweather in an August 2017 showpiece. Mayweather, who earned more money from boxing than any other fighter in history, hasn’t fought professionally since but is now reported to be struggling financially.
“It’s sad when you hear about the people that is coming at him, people calling him broke which, Floyd ain’t gonna never be broke,” Crawford said. “You may have $200m and they call you broke because you ain’t at the status you was yesterday.
“Floyd got an expensive lifestyle and if you’re not bringing in money, just as much money as you spending, then, of course, you’re heading down the wrong path.
“It’s definitely a lesson learned to these young up-and-coming athletes – and not just boxing, just athletes around the world – that tomorrow is not promised. You need to make the right investments…
“You can hinder yourself and burn yourself thinking you’re gonna get another cheque. You got to plan for the future. Some people don’t do that.”
