Before The Belts: A Look Back at Terence Crawford’s Youth Career

In one of the most anticipated events in boxing history, Terence “Bud” Crawford defeated Canelo Álvarez by unanimous decision on Saturday to become the undisputed super middleweight champion.

The event, streamed live on Netflix, captivated audiences around the world, as Crawford became one of only six male fighters in history to capture titles in five divisions, and one of just three to claim the lineal championship in four weight classes. 

Bud’s journey to glory began in small gyms in Omaha, Nebraska. Boxing since he was seven years old, the southpaw is the definition of a true underdog story. He never made the Olympics, he wasn’t an internationally known prodigy, and he didn’t train in a major city. But now, he’s one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time.

Let’s take a trip back to his amateur days as a youth athlete.

All Guts, No Glory

Boxing is known as the “sweet science.” But its participants often have very sour backstories. At the youth level, the sport isn’t known for big men on campus, homecoming kings, cheerleaders, or glory. Instead, a boxer’s formative years begin as an unheralded sparring partner in a sweaty gym full of angry grown men. 

Terence Crawford had a hectic childhood, marred by disputes between his parents in the impoverished neighborhood of North Omaha. His father was an amateur boxer himself at Omaha’s CW Boxing Club. Bud took solace training at the club as a child, eventually making a name for himself in amateur tournaments.

Though Omaha isn’t known as a hotbed for boxing like New York City, Crawford’s victories put him in the conversation for rising amateurs. 

Crawford’s first big test as an amateur came at the 2006 United States National Championships in Colorado Springs. He won the lightweight bronze medal, eventually losing to future pro champion Danny Garcia.

He didn’t quit though, fighting in multiple tournaments that year as an 18-year-old. At the National Golden Gloves in Omaha, he lost in the final to Jesus Mendez, winning a silver medal. 

Crawford avenged his loss to Garcia later in the year at the United States Blue & Gold National Championships, finally winning gold. After three more tournaments the next year, Crawford faced New York’s Sadam Ali in the 2007 Olympic Trials. The eventual winner represented Team USA at the 2008 Olympics.

“I was down one point going into the last round and ended up winning by four or five points, but it was a competitive fight,” Ali told TheMistOde in a 2022 interview. He added that Crawford is a “completely different fighter” now than when they faced off in the amateurs.

After the victory, Ali qualified for the Olympics and became the first Arab-American boxer to fight for Team USA. Without the glory of an Olympic berth, Crawford decided to turn professional.  

Tough Streets, and Tougher Love

Crawford’s slow grind to the top as a pro came with its own troubles. In 2008, he survived an attempt on his life in Omaha. An unknown assailant shot his car 12 times, one bullet grazing his head. Crawford, relatively unscathed, would go on to win his first belt six years later. 

Boxing is a sport where “blood, sweat, and tears” isn’t just a phrase, it’s reality. The best in the sport come from the most hardened backgrounds and don’t have the resources to attend private schools or play expensive sports. It’s an outlet for some of the most downtrodden and least recognized athletes. Crawford is used to that.

Crawford’s mother, Debra, told ESPN in 2019 that she “didn’t like” the word “love.” She rarely, if ever, told Crawford that she loved him and negatively reinforced Crawford before fights on purpose by hurling insults at him and telling him he would lose.

She also regularly disciplined Crawford violently. Bud explained that beatings from his mother desensitized him to pain and her bullying filled him with rage that helped in fights. 

Canelo Álvarez is an internationally known superstar, coming into Saturday’s contest with 66 professional fights and 39 knockouts. Crawford jumped two weight classes just to be able to fight him. Many pundits thought that Canelo’s advantages would be too much for Crawford to handle.

But for Bud, adversity is just a part of the boxing game. Without the accolades, the recognition, or the money that today’s top high school athletes can command, Bud rose to the top by embracing the pain that it takes to be great.

Sometimes the glory of success doesn’t come as a youth athlete, but it’s cultivated in the habits you build before the bright lights shine on the biggest stages.