Terence Crawford names his toughest opponent and it’s not Canelo

When Terence Crawford announced his retirement through a video released by The Ring Magazine, the boxing world paid tribute, with many calling him a pound-for-pound great.

Before his retirement announcement, Crawford was stripped of his super middleweight title by the WBC due to non-payment of sanctioning fees, resulting in him losing his undisputed status. Since Crawford’s announcement, his career has been scrutinised, with many calling him an all-time great.

Bud Crawford recently spoke to streamer Adin Ross, reflecting on his career and revealing his hardest opponent.

Terence Crawford reveals the toughest opponent he’s faced

When asked if Canelo was the hardest opponent he faced in his career, Crawford said:

“No.” When asked who his toughest opponent was, Bud said: “Gamboa, and that was at 135.”

“I aint even gonna lie. I thought it (Canelo fight) was gonna be harder. When I got in there, and I started feeling him out, and I’m like ‘All right, I got him.’ Round one, round two, I was like ok, he ain’t switching up nothing. The only thing he can do is try and pressure me even more, but then he’s gonna get countered.

“A lot of people, they spent a lot of time talking about how big he is, his punch resistance, him knocking me out, him walking through me, me not being able to hurt him, and that’s the main thing people were saying. They wasn’t talking about, if I hit him, can I hurt him, or things like that. And as you see in the fight, he respected my power a lot,” said Crawford.

“I think a lot of people they underestimated my strength and my punching power. I think Canelo did too, and that’s why he was kinda surprised once he got up in there because in his mind, man, this dude is a 147-pounder. One time at 54, and he didn’t look too good. And then he coming up two more weight classes. Imma walk through this guy, like I do all the other guys,” added Crawford.

Terence Crawford’s legacy

Terence Crawford has done what many fighters never achieve: he’s bowed out at the top. Many discuss his best wins and select Errol Spence Jr. and, more recently, his victory against Canelo Alvarez.

Crawford’s skillset saw him retire with a 42-0, 31 KOs record. His fight against Gamboa feels like a lifetime ago. Gamboa’s speed seemed to trouble Bud early on, but the Omaha native overcame those difficulties to knock Gamboa down four times, with brutal accuracy, before winning by 9th-round TKO.

His ability to switch stances and counter with impressive accuracy saw him overcome every opponent he faced. It’s only fair that he is mentioned alongside the all-time greats, but have we really seen the end of Terence Crawford?