But when Terence Crawford decided to walk away from the sport at the top of his game, many were caught completely off guard.

Errol Spence Jr., however, wasn’t among the shocked.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Spence told FightHype. “He did everything you could do in the sport, so what’s left? He's got his health, he's got his kids and his family, he wants to be there for them.”

Spence has a healthy amount of respect for Crawford. The pair clashed in a long-awaited undisputed welterweight championship fight in July 2023 and it was Crawford who came out on top, winning by ninth-round stoppage. Spence hasn't fought since while Crawford became a 154-pound champion and an undisputed 168-pound titleholder in his following two fights.

His win over Canelo Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) to claim super middleweight supremacy made him a five-division champion. It also gave him options, which included a rematch against Alvarez or a middleweight campaign in an effort to win gold in a sixth weight class.

The financial rewards and opportunities to build his legacy even further, however, weren’t worth the possible health risks. And while Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) wanted to see Crawford go out there and continue to dominate, he believes he made the right decision by hanging up the gloves.

“Much respect to him for retiring while he on top,” Spence continued. “A lot of fighters wouldn’t do that.”