Shawn Porter says Terence Crawford has thought about retirement for a ‘long time’

Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford‘s retirement this week shocked many, but not Shawn Porter …because he tells it TMZ Sports the boxing champion had been talking about hanging up the gloves for a ‘long time’.

In fact, Porter says Crawford started talking about the end of his boxing career right before their 2021 fight at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

“I knew it once when he fought Canelo [Alvarez]“He felt like there was nothing left for him,” Porter said.

“This is the first time I’ve said — I haven’t told anyone — that this is something he’s been thinking about for a long time, that he’s wanted to do for a long time, but he knew he had something more to do.”

Porter – who retired after their 2021 fight – says boxers don’t just walk away on a whim or out of emotion… it’s a ‘calculated’ decision that only comes when the time is right.

When it comes to boxing’s Mount Rushmore… Porter said Crawford is up there Oleksandr Usyk in that era of the sport.