Terence Crawford names hardest fight of his career and it’s not Canelo Alvarez

Terence Crawford snubbed Canelo Alvarez when reiterating the toughest challenge of his stellar career.

‘Bud’ recently announced his retirement from boxing, with a sensational resume featuring some of the leading names of the era.

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That includes his most recent scalp in former pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez, who he beat to claim the undisputed super-middleweight titles in September.

Crawford was in cruise control and the Mexican and produced a sheer masterclass to dominate and dethrone the legendary champion.

And as a result, the American icon snubbed Alvarez when naming Yuriorkis Gamboa as his toughest ever opponent.

He said during a conversation with streamer Adin Ross: “Gamboa. And that was at 135.”

Crawford’s fight with Gamboa

Crawford took on Gamboa, who was dubbed the sport’s next ‘Floyd Mayweather’ at the time, in 2015 in his 24th professional outing.

The Cuban was a real examination of Crawford’s credentials as he looked to defend his WBO lightweight title.

Gamboa was rampant at the start of the clash and gave the champion a real tough time.

But he started to turn the tide as the bout went on, and he got his reward in the fifth period dropping Gamboa.

He went on to drop his heavy-handed rival four times in the bout, before getting a real statement finish in the ninth period.

But it wasn’t all straight forward as he got clipped during the final spell and was forced to come through adversity to bring the curtain down on the clash.

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Crawford has regularly named Gamboa as his hardest hitting opponent, and it is clear he hasn’t changed his mind after sharing rounds with Alvarez.

Why did Terence Crawford retire from boxing?

Crawford had teased a move to another weight class to try and become a six-weight world champion at 160lbs.

He had suggested he was open to a return in March, but has ultimately decided enough was enough after the title picture became complex.

But he insists that the real reason was purely down to his age, not the ever-changing landscape of the sport.

He explained: “No, not at all, that’d be stupid of me [to continue].

“I’m 38. 38 is old in boxing. I’ve been boxing since I was seven. I have nothing else to prove.

“I have nothing else to accomplish. It’s like, what more can I do? They’re not gonna give me the credit anyway so it really doesn’t even matter.”