Terence Crawford: ‘They’ll Give Me My Credit When I Retire’

WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford doesn’t think he will get the credit he deserves until he retires from boxing. The 32-year-old has been out of the ring since last December due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He is currently in negotiations to fight former IBF champion, Kell Brook, with November being the current working date for that bout.

Speaking to the Associated Press Crawford revealed he has been productive during lock down, he said.

“I’ve been using this time for resting my body. I’m getting to spend more time with my kids and am just taking the good with the bad. I get in here and work out with the fighters that have fight dates. Normally, I’m running with them, doing strength and conditioning, sparring.

While Brook is a decent option many had hoped to see Crawford square off with the likes of Shawn Porter, WBC/IBF champion Errol Spence, Danny Garcia or Keith Thurman but the money to make those fights happen just doesn’t appear to be available right now.

“It all comes down to money,” Crawford said. “If the money was put up, those fights would be made.”

Crawford has picked up belts in three different weight classes. He also unified the entire junior welterweight division. Despite his immense accomplishments some still say ‘Bud’ hasn’t done enough to earn his reputation as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

“The only reason they say that is because of how dominant I’ve been,” Crawford said. “Ricky Burns, he became champion after (fighting) me. Beltran, he became champion after me. A lot of people discredit those types of fighters. Then everybody gets their credit for beating those types of fighters. But me, being on the pedestal that I am, they look at me and say, ‘Oh, well, those are just steppingstone fights.’

Ultimately Crawford thinks he won’t get the respect he deserves until his boxing career is done. Until that day comes he says he will just keep on winning.

“They’ll give me my credit when I retire. Muhammad Ali, a lot of people didn’t like him. He was the villain. A lot of people didn’t like Mike Tyson, they just knew he was going to knock somebody out. A lot of people say Mike Tyson didn’t fight nobody. A lot of people don’t like Floyd Mayweather, but they respect him because of how talented he is. So when I look at it, I’m never going to get the just due. Just continue to keep winning. That’s it.”

Do you think Terence Crawford gets the credit he deserves?