Terence Crawford- MILITAR MINDSET
Terence Crawford reigns as one of the best boxers in the world. Taking up boxing at a young age, Crawford had a great amateur career.
Though it was in the pro ranks where he really excelled. Crawford is a 3-weight world champion, holding multiple world titles in each divison he has fought in.
He started his career off as a lightweight, then moved up to light welterweight and is now currently competing at welterweight.
Before moving up to welterweight, Crawford was the undisputed light welterweight champion, holding all the major titles (WBC, WBO, WBA [Super], IBF and the ring titles).
He was named the fighter of the year by ESPN in 2014 and 2017. As at the time of writing, Crawford is ranked as the 2nd best pound for pound boxer in the world by ESPN and 3rd by The Ring.
Crawford’s determination and dedication to being the best has ascended him to the phenomenal levels he has been able to reach. He has the MILITAR MINDSET!
How has Crawford displayed the MILITAR MINDSET?
Crawford has had a strong MINDSET from a young age. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford was raised by his parents Debbie and Terry Crawford, alongside his two sisters.
Crawford endured a very tough childhood, surrounded by violence. Crawford recalls that both his parents were constantly arguing and drinking a lot.
His father Terry was in and out of jail, this proved to be hard for a young Crawford who stated that he would cry when his father left for prison as his father was his best friend.
This left Crawford’s mother Debbie to raise the children on her own for the majority of the time. Her brother, (Crawford’s uncle), Michael was brutally stabbed to death.
This was hard for everyone, but tough for Crawford who was so young to have to go through such a traumatic experience. Crawford first started boxing at the age of 7 at the CW boxing club.
He was trained by Midge Minor at the time, a legendary amateur trainer in the city who has now sadly passed. He realised Crawford’s potential from a young age.
As just a teenager he would be sparring with the likes of Grover Wiley, a professional at the time, well known for defeating the legendary Julio César Chávez.
Due to all that was going on in his life, Crawford was full of anger and expressed that whilst in the gym. He liked to hurt people, as it was a release for him to let out all the anger he held within himself.
As an amateur, Crawford had a great career, winning 70 bouts and only losing 12 fights. He defeated the likes of Mikey Garcia and Danny Garcia, both went on to become world champions in the future.
Crawford won titles as an amateur too such as the Pan American games in 2007 in the 132 pounds division. Crawford’s mother Debbie was tough on Crawford too whilst raising him.
Each time he told her about his fights and winning tournaments, she would always negate it and put him down. Stating he would never achieve great success or make anything of his life.
Though it sounds very mean and harsh, Debbie said that she knew it would spur Crawford onto achieve the things she said he couldn’t do. It did exactly that. Instead of reflecting on what his mother said, Crawford aimed to prove her wrong and worked hard to do so.
Crawford reflects on his childhood: ‘Man. I’ve been through a lot as a kid. But at the same time that upbringing just made me stronger and made me more determined to make it out of where I made it out from and just fight extra hard to not go back.’
Here we can see how Crawford’s tough childhood moulded him into who he now is today. All the experiences he had as a child only made his mindset stronger.
He was determined to accomplish his dreams and have the opportunity to live a much better and happier life. In order to do this, Crawford knew that he had to be focused and train hard.
Though Crawford’s childhood is very traumatic, he shows the importance of mindset. He overcame all his adversities and never let them deter him from achieving his goals.
When you are working towards your own dreams, you need to have a positive mindset. Never let the failures put you down, use them as motivation to push on and keep going!
Crawford is an INSPIRATION to us all!
Crawford’s journey to the top INSPIRES us all. Seeing the tough childhood he endured, Crawford went onto become one of the best boxers in the world.
Not many people believed in Crawford. Not even the people around him! But Crawford always had self-belief. He knew that if he wanted to do something, he could.
This belief is inspirational to us all, as it shows us with self-belief, anything is attainable. Crawford was able to finally see his dreams become a reality in 2014, when he became the WBO lightweight champion defeating Ricky Burns.
Fighting on Burn’s home turf in Scotland, it was an anti-Crawford crowd, but he had worked his whole life for this moment, seizing the opportunity as he won via unanimous decision.
This was Crawford’s first world title of many to come! It was a great win for all the people that have been told they will never result to anything, as Crawford was the exact same.
They all doubted Crawford, but he used it as a driving force to prove them all wrong. His native people in Omaha are also hugely inspired by Crawford.
He is a role model for the city as he has showed that anything is possible. To further give back to his city, Crawford founded the non-profit B&B academy.
Within the gym, Omaha children can train in boxing and fitness free of charge. Crawford himself knows the struggle that the kids in his city face, to keep them out of trouble and on the right path, helping them to achieve their own dreams, he provides them training for free.
As shown in the blog header, Crawford states: ‘I always have the ability to believe in myself when nobody else does.’ Teaching us to never doubt ourselves.
Even when no one believes in you, you should always believe in yourself. Crawford’s self-belief comes from his work ethic and dedication to his craft.
He never cuts any corners, training to the best of his abilities. Ultimately, this led Crawford to never doubt himself as he knows he is doing everything he possibly can to attain his goals.
You must always believe in yourself when chasing your own dreams. When you have a firm belief that your goals are achievable, you will continue to drive forward till they are accomplished. Just never doubt and keep working hard!
Crawford is LIMITLESS on what he can achieve
Crawford has always been LIMITLESS, believing that he can accomplish anything that he sets his mind to. This is evident with what he has been able to achieve in his career so far!
After winning his first world title in 2014 by defeating Ricky Burns, Crawford defended his title 2 times. His first defence was against the former Olympic gold medallist, Yuriorkis Gamboa.
He was a slight underdog in the fight and after a slow start, Crawford finished Gamboa via knockout in the 9th round. The fight took place in his hometown, Omaha.
It was only the second world title fight to take place in the city, being the first since 1972 when the legendary Joe Frazier defeated Ron Stander!
Crawford was again victorious in his next fight as he successfully defended his WBO lightweight belt, as well as winning the vacant ‘The Ring’ lightweight title.
Crawford then sought a new challenge. To become a 2-weight world champion. He moved up in weight.
Now competing in the light welterweight division, in his first bout in the new weight class, he won the vacant WBO light welterweight title by beating Thomas Dulorme via TKO in the 6th round.
Crawford continued to perform outstandingly in the weight division as he won each fight in dominant fashion. In 2017, Crawford made history.
He became the undisputed light welterweight champion of the world as he defeated Julius Indongo by KO in the 3rd round.
He held all major world titles as he defended the WBC, WBO and The Ring titles, winning the WBA (Super) and IBF light welterweight titles.
Crawford is only one of 5 to simultaneously hold all major belts, being the first since Jermain Taylor in 2005! Crawford wasn’t finished there… He aimed even higher.
As of now, Crawford competes in the welterweight division. Straight after unifying all the belts in the light welterweight divison, Crawford once again stepped up in weight to compete in the welterweight division.
Immediately he fought the WBO welterweight champion at the time, Jeff Horn in 2018. Crawford won once again, defeating Horn via TKO in the 9th round, becoming a 3-weight world champion!
As of now Crawford continues to fight in the welterweight divison as he aims to unify the belts in this divison too! As we can see, Crawford is limitless.
He is always looking at ways he can improve and continues to aim for higher goals. Once a goal is accomplished, it is not enough for Crawford as he wants to do more.
Crawford tells us ‘I’m the best fighter in the division and I’m always willing to prove it.’ Showing us his fearlessness to prove he is the best!
Crawford continues to achieve the extraordinary, pushing himself beyond the limits people thought he was capable of. Many thought moving up to welterweight was not a good decision for Crawford, stating he was too small.
Once again Crawford proved the critics wrong by winning each fight in great fashion. You must never limit yourself when pushing towards your dreams.
Dreams are meant to be the pinnacle of our aspirations. So, shoot for it! Continue to stay dedicated and focused on achieving those smaller goals and one day you will reach that ultimate dream!
Crawford is now able to reach a state of INNER-PEACE
Crawford has now been able to find his own INNER-PEACE. As said before, Crawford had a hard childhood. The tough times he endured filled him with a lot of anger.
Going to the boxing gym gave him an outlet to express himself and release his mind from the stress and emotions he felt. He instantly fell in love with the sport of boxing, it became his true passion.
Making boxing into his career allowed Crawford to stay happy and find inner-peace as he did something that he truly loved to do. Outside of the ring, Crawford has other passions too such as hunting, fishing and gaming.
He currently has 6 children as well and he loves to spend time with his family. He makes sure that he is there for them and provides them with the best life possible.
His sons also compete in wrestling, so he makes it a priority to attend all their tournaments. Crawford also likes to give back as much as he can too.
When he founded the B&B boxing academy, he made it a priority to provide free boxing and fitness classes to the kids of Omaha.
He knows the struggles they face and wanted to help them as much as possible by providing them free classes to train at his gym.
Crawford tells us ‘I pride myself on being unique in my own right. I wanted to be myself.’ Reinforcing how we should always be ourselves.
In order to find inner-peace, you have to stay true to yourself and express yourself honestly. Crawford believes he is unique as he is himself and no one else, he doesn’t put on a fake persona.
To find your very own inner-peace you must first be yourself. Don’t try to be something you are not. Once you do this, prioritise your passions and pursue them to find it!
Crawford learnt the importance of TIME
Crawford has been able to learn the value of TIME and being patient. He started his boxing journey at the age of 7, not fighting for his first world title till the age of 26!
For Crawford to attain his dream of becoming a world champion it took 19 years of dedication and hard work. By no means was it easy, Crawford had to be patient.
He first turned pro in 2008, at the age of 21. He started of fighting on the smaller shows, fighting wherever he could. ‘I had to fight those type of fights which were high risk, low reward and at the start, I never could get the fights I really wanted.’
Here we can see the challenges Crawford faced in the early part of his career. He had to take risks in order to get to where he is now.
It could have gone wrong for Crawford, but he believed in himself and his abilities, making sure he prepared himself well for each bout.
Crawford continued to progress and won nearly all his fights within the distance! However, he still wasn’t able to find that world title shot he dreamed of since he was a young child.
Crawford didn’t quit.
He continued to work hard and display his skills for all to see when he fought in the ring.
Crawford first made news headlines when he was called in to spar Timothy Bradley in 2011. Bradley was at the time preparing to defend his WBO light welterweight title against Devon Alexander.
He was performing greatly in training camp, sending many sparring partners home frightened.
Crawford was then called into spar Bradley, only allowed to fight in the southpaw stance (Crawford can fight in both the southpaw and orthodox stance, he is a switch hitter!).
Crawford sparred Bradley and it is said that he beat him with ease. Bradley, shocked after the spar told Crawford there and then he was a world champion.
However, Crawford still had to prove himself in the ring and work his way up to a title shot. 3 years later in 2014, Crawford made Bradley’s words come true as he became the WBO lightweight champion by defeating Ricky Burns.
Crawford finally revealed his name to the boxing world as he was awarded the ‘Fighter of the Year’ by ESPN the same year.
Since then, Crawford has continued to go from strength to strength, as he remains undefeated till this day, with a record of 37-0 (37 wins, with 28 coming by way of knockout!) and a 3-weight world champion!
Crawford also tells us ‘I learned patience. I’m not a real patient guy, but with me trusting in my coach, my managers and my team, I just trust the process and just continue to stay patient and just follow suit.’
Showing us that it was not something that came naturally to Crawford at the time. As he was still young, he wanted to achieve his goals quickly, but he realised this was not to be.
Over time, under the guidance of his team, he learnt that in order to achieve his goals he had to be patient and give things time. Nothing would happen instantly, but he had to continue to put the work in.
This proved to be instrumental for Crawford as he is now one of the best pound for pound boxers in the world! You must know that working towards your dreams will not happen overnight!
As it is with anything great that you aspire to do it will take time. You must be patient and willing to stay disciplined, continuing to put the work in, one day knowing it will all pay off!
Crawford stays ACTIVE
Crawford remains ACTIVE. Starting boxing at a young age, he has remained dedicated to the sport throughout his life. Crawford knew that if he wanted to achieve great things in the sport, he must actively be progressing and working hard.
As an amateur boxer, Crawford compiled a great record of 70-12 (70 wins, 12 losses). This shows Crawford always had the talent and potential to be a great fighter, but he knew that in order to reach that potential he had to continue to work hard.
Crawford turned pro in 2008, getting straight to work. In both 2008 and 2009, Crawford fought 5 times!
He had to adapt to the professional game, which is different to the amateurs. Fighting regularly meant that Crawford had to be active in the gym.
There was no time for him to get complacent and miss days out, he had to make sure he was in fight shape and ready to shine under those bright lights.
This allowed for Crawford to continue to improve his skills each day, becoming a better fighter. Now that Crawford is a much bigger name in boxing, only fighting the elite, he aims to fight 2 to 3 times a year.
Fight camps of this magnitude are more specific to the fighter he faces. He and his team will break down the opponent to make sure that Crawford has the best game plan going into the ring.
Crawford tells us ‘I train really hard for each and every fight. I never take anyone lightly.’ Here we can see how Crawford never takes his eye of the ball.
He always trains at the same intensity, making sure no stones are untuned in training. Even if he may be the favourite to win, this doesn’t make him lazy in training.
He always trains to his fullest which has allowed him to put spectacular performances day in day out in the ring. Staying active will allow you to continuously improve each day.
By doing this you are bettering yourself and stepping closer and closer towards your goals. Don’t be lazy, be active!
Crawford continues to be RELENTLESS!
Crawford has always been RELENTLESS! Ever since he was a young boy at the age of 7, he has dreamt of becoming the world champion.
Though many doubted him, he never doubted himself. Crawford used it as fuel to go onto achieve the things they said he couldn’t. ‘This is not a sport for me – I live boxing. I’ve been boxing since I was seven years old.’
We can see how much boxing means to Crawford within this quote, as he states it is his ‘life’. It is all he has ever known, dedicating all his time to the sport.
It is a part of him, making him relentless to accomplish all he can in the sport. His dedication and work ethic towards boxing has not gone unnoticed, many regard Terence Crawford as one of the best pound for pound boxers in the world.
Meaning regardless of weight divisions, his skills and ability in the ring is at the absolute pinnacle of the sport. Crawford can do it all.
He can fight southpaw or orthodox. He can box you at distance or fight in the pocket. He is truly a boxing great!
None of this happened by chance. It was all due to the relentless approach Crawford has to being the best. He does whatever he can to get better in any way possible, reaching his true full potential.
Crawford now continues to improve his legacy as he aims to cement himself in the boxing history books! You really must give it your all if you want to accomplish your dreams.
The journey will never be easy, with hurdles to overcome. You must be relentless when chasing your dreams, never giving up. Never stop pushing. As one day your efforts will result into that dream turning into a reality!
Terence Crawford is one of the best pound for pound boxers in the world today. We can all learn from the way he never stops believing in himself, even when other people don’t, Crawford always believes he can.
This drive of self-belief and dedication is something we can take into our own journey towards our dreams.
Make sure to follow our Instagram page to keep up to date with the latest news on our clothing items and for frequent motivational posts.
I have shown how Terence Crawford has implemented Militar values throughout his life. Make sure you subscribe to our blog to find out how other people you look up to have as well! Next up is…
