Nothing was different for Terence Crawford.
He was telling everyone who would listen how his mega fight with Errol Spence was going to play out.
“If you think back and paid attention to the signs over the years, I told everybody I was going to dominate,” Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) told The Post. “I did dominate. … I did what I said I was going to do, and the rest is history.”
One of boxing's most anticipated bouts in years, a bout between two longtime gatekeepers of the division for the undisputed welterweight title, quickly turned into a one-sided brawl on July 23, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Crawford knocked Spence down three times before winning by TKO in the ninth round, leaving Spence's face swollen and bloody like a punching bag.
It was the first career loss for the highly-anticipated Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) and made Crawford the first undefeated welterweight champion in the four-belt era.
This also marked his second undefeated title reign after winning all four belts at super lightweight earlier in his career.
Considering the stakes of this fight and how long the boxing world has anticipated it, a win for Crawford over Spence would be the crowning achievement of his illustrious career to date.
However, despite public perception that it would be a close fight, the match played out exactly as Crawford expected.
So what will change for him now?
“I was already a Hall of Famer before I fought Spence,” Crawford said, “and I didn't just need Spence to be the undisputed best in the welterweight division and to beat my arch nemesis in the sport of boxing.”
“But outside of that, the argument was already, 'Terence Crawford is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.' So I don't think anything has changed. I'm still the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”
But Crawford, 36, is a unique star.
He has dominated the sport throughout his career so far, but maybe his quiet, reserved personality has meant he hasn't received the recognition, support or fans he deserves.
He stands in stark contrast to the loud, arrogant stars at the top of boxing's hierarchy, who garner attention for much more than their exploits in the ring and who relentlessly promote themselves.
He said he faced a lot of criticism as he came up through the welterweight division.
So if there were any questions about Crawford before, he answered them forcefully.
His legacy was firmly established.
“After that fight, I think all the naysayers and non-believers were proven wrong,” Crawford said. “I think everyone knew I had the skills and the ability to be great. I think that fight helped shape everyone's opinion of what kind of player Terence Crawford really was.”
But now that he's nearing the latter stages of his career, Crawford is ready for a new chapter.
Instead of defending his undisputed welterweight title, he'll move up to super welterweight to challenge Israil Madrimov for the WBA title on Saturday (ESPN+ PPV and DAZN PPV, 4:30 p.m. ET) at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
At the height of his stardom, he aligned himself with boxing's biggest-earning promoter.
The bout will be the main event of a luxury card organised by the Riyadh Season under the direction of Turki Al-Alshik, Saudi Arabia's head of general entertainment, who has spent huge amounts of money to increase his influence in boxing.
Alarcik has promoted the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight championship fight, the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou bout, and many other highly-watched fights.
But Saturday's bout will be his first that he will be promoting in the United States.
Crawford, who is aspiring to become a four-division world champion, said he has no plans to return to welterweight.
Alarczyk has publicly stated his intention to arrange a lucrative fight between Crawford and legendary boxer Canelo Alvarez in the future, but it is unclear whether this would be possible given the difference in weight classes between the two fighters.
First, Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) is a 29-year-old champion with no significant reputation or track record.
His decision not to rematch Spence and instead choose a lesser-known opponent next predictably drew criticism.
But by this point, Crawford had heard it all.
He knows exactly who he is.
Of course, boxing should be the same.
“No matter what you do, you're going to get criticized,” Crawford says. “No matter who you fight, you're going to get criticized. No matter how you fight, you're going to get criticized. It just shows how good you are. If nobody's criticizing you, if nobody's talking about you, then that's a problem. If you're getting a lot of critics, then you're doing something right.”
“You can't make everybody happy. You have to keep doing what makes you happy. The ultimate goal is to keep winning. Keep winning the battles that are in front of you.”
