Terence Crawford reveals exact moment that cemented retirement after Canelo Alvarez win

Terence Crawford toyed with retirement following his win over Canelo Alvarez in September, but he didn’t hang up his gloves until three months later.

‘Bud’ had hinted at the possibility of moving down to middleweight to pick up a world title in a sixth division after picking up the undisputed super middleweight crown in Las Vegas.

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He made no secret that he was keeping a close eye on a WBA, IBF and WBO 160lbs unification clash between Janibek Alimkhanuly and Carlos Adames.

The pair were set to square off last December in Texas.

However, Alimkhanuly failed a VADA drug test less than a week before the fight.

In a subsequent interview with Jai McAllister, Crawford admitted that the contest’s collapse was the catalyst for him calling time on his career.

“At first I was like, alright, go down to 160 and do it again,” Crawford said during a promotional tour in Australia.

“But [former unified middleweight champion] Janibek [Alimkhanuly] popped [for performance-enhancing drugs].

“Whoever would’ve won would’ve had three of the titles.

“It was just a thought, like, ‘You can do it again’.

“‘Go down to 160 and dare to be great; fight for something that’s meaningful.'”

What is the latest on Janibek Alimkhanuly’s failed drug test?

Alimkhanuly has since been handed a backdated six-month ban by the Kazakhstan Federation of Professional Boxing.

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He has also been stripped of his IBF belt, although the WBO have bizarrely allowed him to keep their version of the 160lbs strap.

An interim WBO title fight between Britain’s Denzel Bentley and Endry Saavedra of Venezuela is set to take place on the Derek Chisora vs Deontay Wilder undercard this weekend to determine who is next in line to face the Kazakh.

Alimkhanuly will be free to compete in Kazakhstan on May 31, but he will have to wait until December 2 to defend his WBO title, as he has been suspended for one year by the major sanctioning body.

As per the conditions tied to his continued recognition as champion, Alimkhanuly must undergo year-round random testing through a WADA-certified anti-doping program.

He must also complete a mandatory anti-doping education programme.

Boxing schedule

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