$100M: Crawford Rejects $100 Million Comeback Offer, ‘Bud’ Fires Back With a Chilling “Soul-Stealing” Reply
Former undisputed boxing champion and pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford abruptly retired in December 2025 at 38 years old, walking away after the biggest win — and biggest payday — of his career by schooling Canelo Alvarez to capture the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring super middleweight titles (watch highlights).
And while boxing retirements are often temporary, Crawford insists his is final.
In a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, former NFL player Channing Crowder asked Crawford point-blank if there was a number — $80 million, $100 million — that could bring him back for one more fight.
“Nah, because now you’re selling your soul,” Crawford replied.
When Crowder joked that he’d take $100 million “and sell his soul,” Crawford fired back.
“That’s you. Now we know your character,” Crawford said. “Sometimes you look at people and be like, ‘Dang, man, you ain’t got no dignity, no morals.’ Come on, man. Like, what are you gonna stand for if everything is about money?”
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Crawford explained that while boxing obviously paid the bills, money was never the driving force behind his career.
“I never was in a sport because of money, you know? Well, of course, I was in a sport to make money, but I wanted to be a world champion,” Crawford said. “I wanted to do something that I set my sights out to do as a little boy, and money wasn’t the motivation. Being a world champion was the motivation. Me accomplishing all the things that I’ve accomplished along the way on my journey…Then I became a world champion, and it was just like, man, all this other stuff is a cherry on the top. I did what I set my sights out to do.”
Health also played a major role in his decision. Crawford has long said he wanted to retire on his own terms.
“I wanted to retire after defeating Spence. I always told myself, I want to retire from boxing, I don’t want boxing to retire me,” Crawford said. “So just going through all the aches and pains and the things that it’s not talked about, and it was just like, how many more of these do you want to go through?”
“A lot of people ask me, and they say, ‘Why are you retiring?’ You’ve got a lot more fighting.’” Crawford added. “Why would I give it all to you, though? Why not take some more with me and use it for something else. You know, why not put all that energy into my kids or into something outside of boxing? I want to have a life outside of boxing. I don’t want to be like those fighters who stayed in too long, and they can’t enjoy the fruits of their labor. They can’t enjoy playing with their family. They can’t enjoy being able to have a decent conversation. That played a part too.”
“I’ve been doing this sport since I was seven years old,” Crawford told Ring Magazine in another interview. “I retired at 38. Ask yourself: if you’ve been taking your body through hell for 30 years, would you retire? That’s why I retired. There is nothing else left for me to accomplish in the sport of boxing. I gave my all to boxing, but I’m not going to give my health to boxing.”
Crawford retired with a perfect 42-0 record, 31 knockouts, and one of the most complete resumes in boxing history — with nothing left to prove and no interest in cashing in one last time.
