Terence Crawford has never been short on confidence. But even he admits that his pugilistic career has vastly exceeded his initial expectations.

With world title runs in three separate weight classes, Crawford has put together the sort of resume that will likely result in his induction into the Hall of Fame. However, while he’s appreciative of media pundits revering his achievements, the newly turned 35-year-old views his multiple title reigns, pound-for-pound recognition, and countless wins on the big stage as icing on the cake. Though they're important, Crawford reiterated recently that before turning pro in 2008, there was only one goal on his to-do list.  

“I was driven by being a world champion,” said Crawford on The Good Fight with Kate Abdo. “That's what I was driven by.”

Crawford, of course, crossed off said goal relatively early in his career. In March of 2014, the Omaha, Nebraska native willingly made the trek into enemy territory to take on Ricky Burns. In what could be described as a masterclass, Crawford effortlessly pilfered his WBO title before going on to achieve much more.

While his current 147-pound title reign has spanned approximately half a decade, arguably Crawford’s proudest moment came at 140-pounds. Following wins over Thomas Dulorme, Viktor Postol, and Julius Indongo, Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) found himself sitting atop the super lightweight summit.  

The intoxicating feeling of holding every major world title in a given division, ultimately motivated the rest of the boxing world in Crawford’s opinion. According to the switch-hitting star, after draping his shoulders with the IBF, WBA, WBO, and WBC world titles, he essentially paved the way for his contemporaries to do the same.

“I set a trend. Before Terence Crawford, when was the last undisputed champion? Once Terence Crawford became undisputed, everybody wanted to become undisputed. Wasn't nobody screaming ‘ah I wanna be undisputed’ until Terence Crawford became undisputed.”

Thus far, replicating that historical feat has eluded the 35-year-old during his 147-pound tenure. Nevertheless, it was seemingly ostensible that Crawford would at least be given the opportunity to repeat history as a showdown against current unified champion, Errol Spence Jr., loomed.

Still, even with a deal nearing its completion, negotiations fell through in the 11th hour. Now, having grown tired of their ongoing talks, Crawford has officially signed up to take on David Avanesyan on December 10th.

By and large, Crawford has expressed that, despite his disappointment, he would be more than willing to revisit a Spence showdown in the first half of 2023. If, however, a deal between them fails to materialize, Crawford has stated on numerous occasions that he’ll simply shrug his shoulders and move on. Although becoming a two-time undisputed champion is salient, having done so at 140-pounds, Crawford believes he can hold his head high. Spence, on the other hand, will continue to be devoid of that exhilarating feeling.

“If I leave the sport and not being able to accomplish becoming undisputed at 147, it doesn't hinder me or make me feel any way because I already did it before. I know how it feels. Errol Spence, he don’t know what it feels like to have all the belts on him. He don’t know what it feels like to be the only champion in the division.”