When did Terence Crawford make his professional boxing debut? Career highlights explored amid his retirement as reigning super middleweight champion

Terence Crawford retires at 38 (Image via Getty)
Terence Crawford retires at 38 (Image via Getty)

Terence Crawford made his professional boxing debut in 2008 as a lightweight boxer. At the time, Crawford was 21 years old. During his first fight, he knocked out Brian Cummings in the first round. He went on to win his next 19 fights without losing. Crawford won most of those wins by knocking out his opponents.

Terence began amateur boxing at the age of 7. He fought 70 official amateur bouts and lost 12 times. While he was an amateur, he had defeated some of the future world champions, including Diego Magdaleno, Mikey Garcia, and Danny Garcia.

However, his biggest fight during his earlier boxing career was with Breidis Prescott. This fight happened after another boxer pulled out due to injury, and Crawford stepped in with only three days' notice. This was his first heavyweight fight, and he won by the judges' decision.

Keep reading to learn more about Terence Crawford's career highlights during his 17-year-long boxing career.


Terence Crawford's career highlights

Terence Crawford began his boxing career by fighting in the lightweight division, and slowly climbed up the ranks till he became the undisputed super middleweight champion after defeating Saul 'Canelo' Álvarez by scores of 116–112, 115–113, and 115–113.

Over the years, Terence has fought several boxers. Some of the most memorable fights were against:

  • Alejandro Sanabria
  • Andrey Klimov
  • Ricky Burns
  • Yuriokris Gamboa
  • Ray Beltrán
  • Thomas Dulorme
  • Dierry Jean
  • Hank Lundy
  • Viktor Postol
  • John Molina Jr.
  • Felix Diaz
  • Julius Indongo
  • Jeff Horn
  • José Benavidez
  • Amir Khan
  • Egidijus Kavaliauskas
  • Kell Brook
  • Shawn Porter
  • David Avanesyan
  • Errol Spence Jr.
  • Israi Madrimov
  • Saul 'Canelo' Álvarez

Crawford has been in the boxing world for almost two decades, and over the years, he has garnered a number of titles. Some of his major world titles include:

  • WBO lightweight champion
  • WBA (Super) light welterweight champion
  • WBC light welterweight champion
  • IBF light welterweight champion
  • WBO light welterweight champion
  • WBA (Super) welterweight champion
  • WBC welterweight champion
  • IBF welterweight champion
  • WBO welterweight champion
  • WBA light middleweight champion
  • WBA (Super) super middleweight champion
  • WBC super middleweight champion
  • IBF super middleweight champion
  • WBO super middleweight champion

He also held the WBO interim light middleweight champion, as well as three undisputed titles, which include the Undisputed light welterweight champion, Undisputed welterweight champion, and Undisputed super middleweight champion.

Terence Crawford also has an extensive list of awards he has won for his boxing skills. Some of them include five-time World Boxing Organization Fighter of the Year, Sports Illustrated Prospect of the Year in 2013, Forbes Fighter of the Year in 2017, BoxingScene American Boxer of the Decade (2020s) in 2025, and more.

However, after 17 years in the ring, Terence Crawford took to X to share a link to his YouTube video, announcing his retirement. He captioned the post:

"Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove."

Terence Crawford started boxing at a young age and worked hard to reach the top. From winning his early fights to becoming a multiple-time world champion, his journey is an example of dedication and growth. His sudden retirement at 38 years old shocked many boxing fans across the world.

Also read: Terence Crawford’s late-night police incident reportedly sparked by “High Rate of Speed”

Love movies? Try our Box Office Game and Movie Grid Game to test your film knowledge and have some fun!

Edited by Benidamika Jones Latam