Boxing coach, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, has explained the real reason that inspired Terence Crawford’s (42-0, 31 KOs) return to a gym — it wasn’t for a comeback but, rather, because he loves the club environment and wanted to support teammate, Lester Martinez (20-0-1, 16 KOs).
Ever since Crawford turned professional in 2008, McIntyre was there to guide him through every step of his career from the start, approximately 18 years as of 2026. It’s a run that saw ‘Bud’ win world championships across five weight classes, tallying victories over Errol Spence Jr., Israil Madrimov, and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, among others.
Speaking just days after the clip of Crawford’s time in the gym, McIntyre cooled talk of a comeback, insisting instead that Crawford just “loves the environment that he created … as a team.”
It helped, McIntyre said, that Martinez was in camp for his August 29 fight against Luka Plantic at the USC Galen Center in Los Angeles.
“He just wanted to come out and get some work in to see where he is at and to have some fun with Lester. Terence has always been a big supporter of Lester, and he has come out to show him a few things and work out with him for a few days.”
Crawford announced his retirement from boxing months after his decision win over ‘Canelo’ in 2025. He is not coming back to the sport, according to McIntyre.
“Bud is done; he has said he is done, and I respect his decision. I want him to be done because he had nothing left to prove in the sport. But I love having him around the other fighters to motivate them. They are all trying to get to the pinnacle of the sport where he got to. So that is one of the reasons he came out. Not to get ready for a fight. He just wants to stay in shape.”