Boxing

Don’t doubt Terence Crawford, even after he retired from boxing

Published

9 months ago

December 17, 2025

An all-time great player, even though he has just entered his financial prime, announces his retirement, leaving, say, another $100 million on the table.

I know what you’re thinking.

NO.

Don’t doubt Terence Crawford. That’s what has fueled him all these years. This is what made him the undisputed champion at 140, 147 and 168 pounds. This is what made him the greatest fighter in the world (no offense to Oleksandr Usyk, for whom a case can also be made). And now, in violation of almost every boxing convention, it allowed him to retire on his own terms, undefeated at the very top of the game, after his signature victory.

The only other guy I know who has done this – and remained retired – is the great Andre Ward, who retired in 2017 after back-to-back victories over one-time featherlight heavyweight boogeyman Sergei Kovalev.

“What strikes me most about where Terence is, where I’ve been fortunate enough to get to – with your legacy, your abilities and your fortune intact – is that you’ve defeated the greatest opponent any warrior can face, an opponent who has defeated some of the greatest warriors who have ever lived,” Ward told me Tuesday night. “You have defeated the sport itself. You have overcome the doubters, the injuries, the praise and the criticism. You have overcome the risk: that single punch that could change your legacy and your life. That is slim air. You have defeated boxing.”

Boxing is full of pitfalls, starting with the fighter’s ego. The same ego that made you great makes you come back as a smaller version of yourself. Additionally, the game itself is almost rigged, favoring the bigger man against the smaller, younger man versus the older, so-called A-side fighter who generates the lion’s share of the revenue compared to everyone else. At 38, Crawford, who has spent most of his career outside the 147-pound weight class, didn’t stand out with those traits when he faced Canelo Alvarez in September. At the time, Canelo was not only the undisputed 168-pound champion, but also boxing’s most lucrative attraction. However, Crawford’s historic victory was even more one-sided than the unanimous scorecards might lead you to believe.

It all comes down to the two-sided concept of money and doubt. For a generation of fighters, some of whom were truly great but not great, the Canelo fight became the record of their lives. But for Crawford, Canelo became his “white whale,” an existential corrective to any doubters at any stage of his career. And there were plenty of them.

“This is the only fight I want,” Crawford told Turki Alalshikh, the president of the Saudi Entertainment Authority, which financed the Canelo fight.

At the time, Alalshikh was more interested in matching Crawford with Jaron “Boots” Ennis or Vergil Ortiz Jr., both undefeated 154-pound superstars. But Crawford didn’t want to hear about it.

“Boots is not a megafight,” he told me in September. “Vergil Ortiz is not a megafight. It’s the end of my career. They’ll say, ‘You were supposed to win.’ I want Canelo Alvarez.”

If you didn’t think he could beat Canelo back then, maybe you’ll think better now. Crawford will remain retired – if only because the boxing opportunities are always increasing. Doubt him if you must, just remember that when it comes to doubters, Crawford is undefeated. Before Canelo, there were those who thought he would never beat Errol Spence Jr., whose career he ended. There were those at his former promotional company, Top Rank, who honestly signed him when no other major promoter would, and concluded he would never be a huge attraction.

Crawford has had doubts in every league since the amateurs. Although in hindsight one has to wonder why, considering his amateur victory over a juvenile fighter as talented as Mikey Garcia. There was some doubt that Crawford was from Omaha, Nebraska, which was nowhere on the boxing map until he put it there.

Local police had doubts about Crawford. With the children on the corner. By some of his teachers. But most of all and most famously by his own mother, Miss Debra.

On the eve of his first title fight 11 years ago, Crawford found himself an underdog far from home, fighting Scottish champion Ricky Burns in Glasgow. Before her son left for Scotland, Miss Debra gave him her usual pre-fight pep talk. “You’re not…” she told her son. – I’ll kick your ass.

“I knew it would stick in his head,” she told me in 2018. “And he’ll go out there and kick some ass.”

In fact, that’s what happened: a little-known fighter traveling across continents to win a unanimous decision in the champion’s backyard. That’s how it started: his long, undefeated title streak.

But looking back, I think differently about Miss Debra. Mike Tyson has a theory about great fighters, starting with Alexander the Great, that they are all mommy’s boys. “That’s why Alexander kept pushing forward,” Tyson once said. “He didn’t want to come home and be dominated by his mother.”

By this standard, matriarch Crawford is on par with Olympus himself.

Thank you, Mrs. Debra.

Thank you, Terence.

It was a pleasure. It was a challenge. It was an honor.

Boxing

Katie Taylor Retires Unbeaten, Claiming Every Belt After Victory Over Flora Pili

Published

15 hours ago

September 5, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Katie Taylor Retires Unbeaten, Claiming Every Belt After Victory Over Flora Pili"

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There were no knockdowns and very little suspense on the scorecards. Pili had a couple of decent rounds, but Taylor was too quick, too experienced, and far too accurate for the French challenger.

From the opening bell, Taylor claimed the center of the ring and stalked Pili behind the jab. She followed with right hooks and quick combinations, often landing three or four punches before slipping away from the reply.

The French challenger looked unsure of when to attack. She waited for Taylor to stop punching, but by then the 40-year-old had already changed position and was preparing to come again.

In the third, Pili tried to push forward, but following Taylor around the ring was not the same as trapping her. Taylor kept turning her, touching her with the jab, and forcing another restart.

More pressure came from Pili in the fourth as she tried to drive Taylor to the ropes and keep her there. Taylor answered with counters and short combinations before tying her up whenever the challenger reached close range.

A stiff jab from Pili in the sixth snapped Taylor’s head back and reminded the crowd that the challenger had not come merely to participate. Taylor immediately answered through the middle and landed a counter right hand.

The seventh brought Pili’s best moment when a combination briefly forced Taylor backward. She also found more success crowding the champion and making the exchanges rougher.

Even when the action became untidy, Taylor remained the more accurate fighter. She landed the first clean punch in most exchanges and rarely allowed Pili to finish a combination.

Credit belongs to Pili for staying aggressive and taking Taylor’s punches without folding. Durability alone was never going to win this fight, though, and she lacked the timing needed to make Taylor pay for standing her ground.

Back at long range in the ninth, Taylor picked off Pili with the jab, slipped in the right hand, and mixed punches to the body and head while the challenger continued following her.

There was no backing away from Pili in the final round, but Taylor finished with the quicker hands and cleaner work. The ovation began before the result was announced because everyone inside the stadium already knew who had won.

This was not another exhausting battle like Taylor’s fights with Amanda Serrano or Chantelle Cameron. She did not need drama to prove anything. She boxed with discipline, controlled the distance, and avoided giving Pili the kind of stationary fight that offered the challenger a chance.

The victory added the vacant WBC belt to Taylor’s WBA, IBF, WBO, and Ring titles. It also made her a three-time undisputed champion before she walked away from boxing.

Most fighters stay too long and leave only after the sport makes the decision for them. Taylor left with a 26-1 record, every major belt at 140 pounds, and more than 80,000 people standing to watch her do it.

Boxing

Katie Taylor vs Flora Pili: Croke Park Undercard Results and Highlights

Published

18 hours ago

September 5, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Katie Taylor vs Flora Pili: Croke Park Undercard Results and Highlights

World Boxing News provides undercard results and updates as Katie Taylor faces Flora Pili in a historic homecoming at Croke Park in Dublin.

Taylor puts her IBF, IBO and WBO super lightweight titles on the line against undefeated challenger Pili, with the vacant WBC championship also at stake over ten two-minute rounds.

The card also features an all-Irish welterweight clash between Paddy Donovan and Tyrone McKenna, while David Allen faces Thomas Carty in a ten-round heavyweight contest.

WBN provides live results and updates from every bout as they happen, plus selected scorecards.

Scorecards:

Katie Taylor vs. Flora Pili
Paddy Donovan vs. Tyrone McKenna
David Allen vs. Thomas Carty
Molly McCann vs. Sylwia Doligala

Results

All times are local.

21:01

David Allen vs Thomas Carty ended in a first-round no contest after a horrible ending at Croke Park. Carty fell out of the ring after being caught by a punch to the back of the head and was unable to continue.

The Irish heavyweight received oxygen at ringside before the bout was officially declared a no contest.

20:16

Paddy Donovan scored a fourth-round TKO victory over Tyrone McKenna after a damaging all-Irish battle. McKenna was dropped by a body shot in the second before suffering a nasty gash over his right eyebrow, forcing the contest to be stopped in round four.

19:46

On the first bout of the main televised card, Taylor Bevan scored a sixth-round knockout over Emmet Brennan, ending their all-Irish super middleweight clash emphatically at Croke Park.

18:50

Molly McCann produced a dominant performance at Croke Park, winning all eight rounds on the WBN scorecard to defeat Sylwia Doligala. The former UFC star controlled the contest throughout to move to 5-0 as a professional boxer.

Official scores were 80-72, 80-73 and 79-73 as the Liverpudlian moves closer to a world title shot.

18:01

Joe McGrail stopped Matthew Boreland to claim a regional title and continue his ranks through the super bantamweight ranks. McGrail is now 14-0.

17:22

Bobbi Flood defeated Jack Swallow in an entertaining four-rounder before an announcement was made about the opening fight between Paul Ryan and Paddy Gallagher.

Initially, Gallagher was named as the victor. However, that result was overturned and Ryan was declared the winner 58-55 on points.

17:03

Heavyweight Adam Olaniyan made brutally short work of Matej Hudak, blasting him out inside the opening round to extend his perfect professional record to 4-0 with four stoppages.

Katie Taylor vs Pili Running Order for Tonight

TV Coverage

The event is available live on DAZN.

Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

Boxing

Thomas Carty Knocked Out of Ring in Dramatic Dave Allen Fight Finish

Published

18 hours ago

September 5, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Thomas Carty Knocked Out of Ring in Dramatic Dave Allen Fight Finish"

Dave Allen’s heavyweight clash with Thomas Carty ended in bizarre circumstances at Croke Park after the Irishman went through the ropes following a punch to the back of the head.

The highly anticipated heavyweight contest barely had time to get going before Carty ended up outside the ring during the opening round.

Allen immediately appeared to question how Carty had gone through the ropes, stating that his opponent might have dived out of the ring and suggesting it may have been deliberate.

However, replays did show Allen’s punch landing on the back of the Irishman’s head before Carty went through the ropes.

In defense of Allen, the blow did not appear to carry the kind of momentum that would obviously explain Carty going through the ropes at that pace.

Only Carty will be able to explain exactly what happened in those final moments.

Allen-Carty Ends in No Contest

The situation became more concerning once it was clear that Carty was unable to continue, leaving the WBN Scorecard obsolete.

Carty received oxygen at ringside as the contest was abandoned, bringing an ugly and confusing end to a heavyweight fight that had barely begun.

There was then uncertainty over how the bout would officially be recorded.

Eventually, the ringside supervisor instructed announcer David Diamante to confirm that the contest had been declared a no contest in the opening round.

Allen was left without the victory he had traveled to Dublin seeking, while attention immediately turned toward Carty’s condition following the unusual ending.

Croke Park Undercard Results

Paddy Donovan produced one of the strongest performances of the undercard by stopping Tyrone McKenna in four rounds.

Donovan dropped McKenna with a body shot in the second before the punishment eventually resulted in a significant cut over McKenna’s right eyebrow. The contest was halted in round four, handing Donovan the TKO victory.

Taylor Bevan also secured a stoppage, knocking out Emmet Brennan in the sixth round of their all-Irish super middleweight contest.

Former UFC star Molly McCann continued her unbeaten transition into professional boxing with a convincing points victory over Sylwia Doligala.

McCann swept all eight rounds on the WBN scorecardwith the judges returning scores of 80-72, 80-73 and 79-73. The victory improved McCann’s professional record to 5-0.

Joe McGrail remained undefeated by stopping Matthew Boreland, improving his record to 14-0 while adding another regional title to his collection.

Bobbi Flood defeated Jack Swallow over four rounds, while Paul Ryan was eventually confirmed as the winner against Paddy Gallagher after confusion surrounding the original announcement.

Gallagher was initially announced as the victor before the result was corrected, with Ryan officially winning 58-55 on points.

Heavyweight prospect Adam Olaniyan needed only one round to dispose of Matej Hudak. The stoppage improved Olaniyan’s record to 4-0, with all four victories coming inside the distance.

About the Author

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.