Over a year ago, Terence Crawford made his 154-pound debut. In the lead-up to the Israil Madrimov bout, talks of a showdown with Canelo Alvarez had begun to swirl. So during a catch-up with Crawford’s trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, Marcos Villegas got ahead of himself and asked, “If you guys win this, the undisputed titles at 68?” The award-winning trainer responded, “We could all can retire from that; after that, you know what I’m saying, we can retire after that, and we just sit back and do what you doing.” Twelve months later, the fight — perhaps the decade’s biggest — is just around the corner.

Only a few weeks remain before Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez settle the debate at Allegiant Stadium. Yet one question still lingers: what will the two best pound-for-pound boxers in the world do after September 13? Canelo, at just 35, is likely to continue for some time. It’s Crawford most people seem to worry about. A fortnight after the match, he will turn 38. Considering the mouthwatering split of the $200 million purse, some might think Crawford will call it a day.

After all, he told Piers Morgan, “I always say I was going to retire from boxing. I wasn’t going to let boxing retire me.” But it seems the Nebraskan isn’t shy about entertaining other options.

Yesterday, Pro Boxing Fans shared a comment from Terence Crawford. “@tbudcrawford on what the future may hold after @canelo 🔮,” their caption read. So according to Crawford, he isn’t rushing into anything at the moment. It’s “one fight at a time,” he stated.

It largely depends on the outcome of the Canelo match. There’s a good chance he might move back to 154 pounds; Crawford currently holds the light-middleweight WBA belt. “Maybe I’ll go back down to 154. And try to become undisputed,” he said. There is another option. A rematch with Canelo. To sum it up, everything is still up in the air.

“Right now we’re just focused on the task at hand, and that’s Canelo,” Terence Crawford made clear. To set the record straight, he expressed similar thoughts during a fan Q&A in Sydney, Australia. Not looking beyond the Canelo fight, he said, “I don’t eat before my food on my table. So, right now, I’m at 168 to fight Canelo. And that’s the only thing I’m thinking about right now.”

In a previous instance, Crawford spoke about a move back to 154 pounds.

The 154-pound landscape and Terence Crawford

With the likes of Bakhram Murtazaliev, Sebastian Fundora, Vergil Ortiz Jr., and now Xander Zayas leading the pack, light middleweight has become boxing’s most stacked and exciting division. Two years ago, Terence Crawford humbled Errol Spence Jr. to unify all four belts in the welterweight division.

Win or lose against Canelo, he could scale down from 168 and first face one of the reigning champions for title unification. Fans might recall. Amid the talks for the Canelo fight, a matchup between Crawford and WBC champion Sebastian Fundora, who also held the WBO title at the time, appeared on the horizon. But it quickly fizzled out.

But considering his age and achievements, which include a guaranteed Hall of Fame career, a few believe Crawford could step down and hang up the gloves. Floyd Mayweather’s uncle, former super featherweight titleholder turned trainer Jeff Mayweather, opined, “I think if he beats Canelo, I think that’ll be enough for him.”

Perhaps what Crawford said remains the most sensible course of action. Take things one at a time and stay focused on the task ahead, rather than worrying about the future.

What’s your opinion? Should Terence Crawford retire after the Canelo fight?