Terence Crawford has revealed that he was close to fighting on after his victory over Saul \u2018Canelo\u2019 Alvarez.<\/p>\n
\u2018Bud\u2019 Crawford beat Canelo in September 2025, winning the undisputed super-middleweight title to cement his legacy. It marked a title in a fifth weight class and a third undisputed reign for the switch hitter from Omaha, Nebraska.<\/p>\n
Crawford has been open about the reasons behind hanging up the gloves just months on from that win, citing tough training camps and the feeling that he had done it all in the sport of boxing.<\/p>\n
However, the 38-year-old recently told Jai McAllister<\/a> that there was one fight he was considering before a failed doping test changed everything.<\/p>\n \u201cNow we beat Canelo. Now what? At first, I was like well, go down to 160 and do it again. [Six weight champion] and four division undisputed. But Janibek popped. Whoever would have won that fight [against Erislandy Lara] they would\u2019ve had three of the titles. So it was just like, I\u2019m not\u2026 It just was a thought. You can do it again, go down to 160, dare to be great and fight for something that\u2019s meaningful.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though their names wasn\u2019t the biggest, Janibek is a dangerous challenge. That\u2019s what we do it for. I knew, going over there, fighting Janibek, people would\u2019ve been tuning in to that type of fight. Especially if had somehow beat Carlos Adames, and [became] undisputed. Then you undisputed vs undisputed. It didn\u2019t happen. So, you know what, I was like this is God telling me you ain\u2019t got nothing left to prove.\u201d<\/p>\n IBF and WBO middleweight champion Alimkhanuly was scheduled to face Erislandy Lara, who holds the WBA belt, on December 6 in San Antonio last year.<\/p>\n