“Why shouldn’t he have retired? Boxing is a dangerous sport,” Arum told The Ring.

“He accomplished everything and made more money, particularly in the last few fights, than he ever imagined. He lives in Nebraska and has Warren Buffett as a financial advisor. So he's put away a lot of money.

“Why should he subject himself to all that work preparing for a fight and maybe getting hurt? You saw it with Marvin Hagler, who rode off into the sunset as well when he could have made a lot of money.”

Arum, who also promoted Hagler, signed Crawford in 2011 ahead of his 15th fight and, within three years, guided him to a lightweight title. An undisputed title run at 140 pounds came right after from 2015 to 2017, followed by a welterweight title run.

But after Crawford beat Shawn Porter in November 2021, he split from Top Rank and fought as a free agent, eventually setting up a super fight against Errol Spence. He stopped the Texan in a July 2023 blockbuster bout for the undisputed 147-pound title.

Crawford later signed a lucrative deal with Riyadh Season, beating Israil Madrimov for a 154-pound title in August 2024 and Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight title last September. Crawford then announced his retirement in December, passing on a potential run at 160 pounds to become a five-division champion.

“The fact that we didn't carry him over the goal line, that's unfortunate for us, but it is what it is, that’s showbiz,” said Arum. “Of course, I’m genuinely happy for him, because we're largely responsible for his success. He was a non-entity when he first started with us, but our matchmakers discovered a rare talent, and we brought him along correctly. So we're very proud of that.”

While Arum has always praised Crawford for his superior skills, he previously crushed him for his economic potential.

In November 2020, when Crawford stopped Kell Brook in his penultimate fight with Top Rank, Arum quipped: “The question is, ‘Do we want to keep him?’ I could build a house in Beverly Hills on the money I’ve lost on him in the last three fights. He may be the greatest fighter in the world, but hey, I ain’t going bankrupt promoting him.”

The scathing sound bytes came during a time when Crawford and Spence were at a negotiation stalemate and years after Arum decided not to give Crawford a career-defining fight against Manny Pacquiao in fear of “Bud” giving Pacquiao a health-altering beating.

Meanwhile, Crawford maintained that pay cuts were out of the question and called for his contractual release. By January 2022, shortly following the expiration of his contract, Crawford sued Top Rank for breach of contract while claiming racial bias.

“When the contract was up, he decided not to renew because he felt he could do better as a free agent,” said Arum. “So I'll never, ever fault him like I would for a fighter who breaks a contract and walks away.”

But all's well that ends well. Crawford retired as an all-time great with accolades, faculties, and financials fully intact, and Arum applauds him for a Hall of Fame-bound career.

“That's the way the greats should retire, absolutely, but it’s rarely the case,” said Arum.