Background and career
Terence Allan "Bud" Crawford (born September 28, 1987) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2025. He retired with an undefeated record of 42–0. Crawford won 18 major world championships in five weight classes from lightweight to super middleweight, including the undisputed championships at light welterweight, welterweight, and super middleweight. He is the second male boxer in history to become a three-weight undisputed world champion. In 2025, The Ring magazine ranked Crawford as the third greatest boxer of the 21st century, pound for pound. In 2014, Crawford traveled overseas to face Ricky Burns and won his first world championship, the WBO lightweight title. After two successful defenses, he moved up to light welterweight in 2015 and defeated Thomas Dulorme to claim the vacant WBO light welterweight title. In 2017, Crawford became the undisputed light welterweight champion—the first since Kostya Tszyu in 2004—and the first boxer in any weight class to simultaneously hold all four major world titles since Jermain Taylor in 2005. In 2023, he defeated Errol Spence Jr. to become the undisputed welterweight champion, the first since Zab Judah in 2006. In 2024, Crawford moved up to light middleweight and defeated Israil Madrimov to become a four-division world champion. In 2025, he defeated Canelo Álvarez by unanimous decision to capture the undisputed super middleweight championship, becoming one of only six male boxers in history to win world titles in five divisions. In the four-belt era, Crawford became the first male boxer to capture the undisputed championship in two and three divisions, and the first to achieve undisputed status at both light welterweight and welterweight. He is the only boxer in history to hold The Ring magazine title in four divisions and joined Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the only fighters to become four-division lineal champions. Crawford is also one of only two boxers to have won world titles at both lightweight and super middleweight. Throughout his 17-year professional career, Crawford was never knocked down, nor did a single judge ever score a fight in favor of his opponent. His streak of 11 consecutive knockouts in world title fights is tied for the third longest in boxing history. Consistently ranked among the top boxers of his generation, Crawford is widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. He was named Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) in 2014 and 2025, by ESPN in 2014, 2017, and 2025, and by The Ring magazine in 2025. Crawford received the Best Fighter/Boxer ESPY Award in 2018, 2024, and 2026. He was recognized as the world's top pound-for-pound boxer by the BWAA from October 2017 to May 2018, again in June 2022, and by The Ring from July 2023 to May 2024 and again from September to December 2025. In January 2026, Sportico ranked Crawford 21st among the world's highest-paid athletes of 2025, with estimated earnings of $66 million.
Crawford was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, as the only son born to Debbie and Terence Sr. He grew up in a dangerous area known for poverty, crime, and violence, which made it difficult for him to navigate in his youth. The Crawford family frequently faced financial challenges, often struggling to afford basic necessities. At an early age, he was often involved in physical altercations and was kicked out of five different schools because of it. As his father was in the U.S. Navy, he was rarely home, leaving his mother to raise him by herself. She often beat him with a belt and even tried paying neighborhood kids to pummel him, although none succeeded. Crawford found solace in boxing at the C.W. Boxing Club in North Omaha. His grandfather, father, and uncle had all trained there. The gym's owner, Carl Washington, who was also Crawford's neighbor, approached Crawford when he was seven years old, recommending he join the gym. Crawford began frequenting the gym, and was eventually mentored by Midge Minor, who became a father figure to him. He constantly picked up Crawford after school and paid close attention to him, fearing that he may become involved in the rampant crime in the area. Introduced to wrestling by a close family friend, Crawford embraced the sport early on, developing skills that later shaped his distinctive, wrestling-influenced boxing style. In 2001, Crawford began training under Brian "Bomac" McIntyre and Esaú Diéguez, who remained his trainers.
Crawford took up boxing at the age of seven. He fought 70 official amateur bouts, losing 12 times. As an amateur, he defeated future world champions Mikey Garcia and Danny Garcia, as well as Diego Magdaleno, whom he beat three times. After winning three amateur tournaments shortly before the 2008 Olympics, he became the highest-ranked lightweight in the US. However, his loss to leading contender Sadam Ali thwarted his Olympic ambitions. His amateur record was 58–12.
2006 National PAL Championships, 132 lbs – Gold Medalist Preliminaries: Defeated Miguel Ángel González (W 4) Preliminaries: Defeated James Villa (RSC-2) Quarterfinals: Defeated Stan Martyniouk (22–11) Semifinals: Defeated Javier Garcia (7–4) Finals: Defeated Diego Magdaleno (13–8) 2006 Blue & Gold National Championships, 132 lbs – Gold Medalist Quarterfinals: Defeated Jose Fernandez (RSC) Semifinals: Defeated Paul Green (5–0) Finals: Defeated Danny Garcia (3–2) 2006 National Golden Gloves, 132 lbs – Silver Medalist Preliminaries: Defeated Angelo Ward (5–0) Preliminaries: Defeated DeMarco McCrady (5–0) Quarterfinals: Defeated Rashad Ganaway (5–0) Semifinals: Defeated Carlos Molina (3–2) Finals: Lost to Jesus Mendez (2–3) 2006 U.S. National Championships, 132 lbs – Bronze Medalist Preliminaries: Bye Preliminaries: Defeated Mikey Garcia (18–7) Quarterfinals: Defeated Stan Martyniouk (17–13) Semifinals: Lost to Danny Garcia (20–21) 2007 U.S. Pan American Box-Offs, 132 lbs – Gold Medalist Semifinals: Defeated Luis Ramos Jr. (25–15) Finals: Defeated Diego Magdaleno (24–13) 2007 1st Pan American Games Qualifier, 132 lbs – Bronze Medalist Preliminaries: Defeated Jose Maria Virula (19–7) Quarterfinals: Defeated Luis Ernesto Rueda (20–15) Semifinals: Lost to Yordenis Ugás (10–27) 2007 U.S. National Championships, 132 lbs – Bronze Medalist Preliminaries: Bye Preliminaries: Bye Quarterfinals: Defeated Miguel Ángel González (25–24) Semifinals: Lost to Jerry Belmontes (9–10)
Crawford made his professional debut on March 14, 2008, fighting as a lightweight (130 lb (59 kg) - 135 lb (61 kg)) and knocking out Brian Cummings in the first round. He compiled a record of 19–0 with 15 wins by way of knockout (KO) against largely unheralded opposition. Crawford's first notable bout was against Breidis Prescott on the undercard of the second fight between Brandon Ríos and Mike Alvarado. Prescott was originally scheduled to face WBA light welterweight champion Khabib Allakhverdiev, who withdrew with an injured elbow. Crawford was originally supposed to meet Robert Osiobe on the same card, but accepted the offer to fill in for Allakhverdiev on three-days notice. Crawford defeated the Colombian by a unanimous decision. Crawford received a purse of $125,000, whilst Prescott received $50,000. This was the first time Crawford fought a ten-round fight at the 140 lb. limit.
Crawford fought Alejandro Sanabria on June 15, 2013. Held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, the fight served as an eliminator for the WBO lightweight title and was also for the vacant WBO-NABO lightweight title. After a slow start in rounds one and two, Crawford outlanded Sanabria 2–1 in power shots over the next three frames. The fight ended just after the bell rang to start the sixth round. Crawford charged forward, landing a precise left hook to Sanabria's jaw that sent him crashing to the canvas, headfirst, in a forward roll. Though Sanabria was able to return to his feet at the count of seven, he was left staggered, which caused the fight to be waved off by referee Laurence Cole, giving Crawford a technical knockout (TKO) victory.
