Boxing

Jake Paul Makes Bold Claim About Terence Crawford's Retirement

Jake Paul isn't ready to give up on a fight against Terence Crawford, despite Crawford's retirement announcement.
Grant Young|
Jake Paul
Jake Paul | IMAGO / Bildbyran

On December 16, boxing legend Terence Crawford announced that he is no longer going to compete in the ring as a professional.

"I'm stepping away from competition. Not because I'm done fighting, but because I've won a different kind of battle. The one where you walk away on your own terms. This isn't goodbye; it's just the end of one fight, and the beginning of another," Crawford said in a December 16 video on his YouTube channel that was titled, '42-0. 3x Undisputed. 5 Division World Champion. No shortcuts. No excuses'.

The title of that video shows why this decision doesn't necessarily come as a surprise. Crawford has amassed many impressive accolades, cemented his spot as one of boxing's all-time greats, and he has nothing left to prove after beating Canelo Alvarez to become the first male boxer to win an undisputed championship in three different weight classes.

Terence Crawford on June 26, 2025.
Terence Crawford on June 26, 2025. | IMAGO / Hoganphotos

Crawford also made a ton of money by beating Canelo. However, if there's one reason why some fans thought he would remain in the sport for a few more fights, it's that the win over Canelo opened the door for many more extremely lucrative boxing bouts. And perhaps the most lucrative of them all for Crawford would be facing Jake Paul.

Crawford reportedly accepted a short-notice fight against Paul last month, following the cancellation of Paul's scheduled fight against Gervonta "Tank" Davis. However, Paul and his team decided to fight Anthony Joshua instead, which is scheduled to take place on December 19.

Jake Paul Calls Cap on Terence Crawford Retirement News

Crawford saying yes to fighting Paul once suggests he might do it again if the opportunity presented itself. This was the basis of Paul disputing the news about Crawford's retirement during a December 17 interview with The Schmo.

"I think it's cap. I don't think he's actually retiring, but it's a smart move by him," Paul said when asked about Crawford's retirement, per a video from The Schmo's YouTube channel.

When The Schmo asked Paul if he was going to pull Crawford out of retirement, Paul said, "I'll fight Crawford, 100%, next year. He was down this year, but we're gonna make it happen next year."

This seems like Paul is trying to will Crawford coming out of retirement into existence. However, only time will tell whether Crawford will accept Paul's summons to return to the ring or if he's content to finish his career at 42-0.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.