Boxing champ Terence Crawford tells Omaha graduates to work hard and keep fighting for success

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Unbeaten four-division world champion Terence "Bud" Crawford encouraged graduating University of Nebraska at Omaha students Friday to devote themselves to hard work, never give in to negativity and never stop setting goals.

Crawford, the keynote speaker at the school’s commencement ceremony at Baxter Arena, told of his journey from a difficult childhood in north Omaha to international boxing fame and how the graduates can use the approach he took to find success in their professional and personal lives.

"Being from Omaha means you’re a fighter," he said. "That’s two things we have in common. I was a fighter before I became a boxer. I was a competitor before I put on the gloves. I accepted this invitation to speak with you today because I love being around other fighters. I love people who embrace who they are."

As a teen, Crawford was kicked out of five schools for fighting before he graduated from high school. He ran with a bad crowd and was shot multiple times, once in the head. He said he was fortunate to find mentors who gave him hope he could have a better life, but he also had to do his part to make it happen.

"You control your own destiny," he said. "You get to determine your greatness. You have everything you need to be a champion."

Crawford told the graduates to not let obstacles stand in their way of achieving success and quoted Mike Tyson, who famously said everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.

“It’s just as true in life as it is in boxing," Crawford said. "You can set all the goals and make all the plans you want but sometimes you’re going to get punched in the face. You get the job interview, but you don’t get the job. You get the match online, but you don’t get the date. You make an investment, and then the market takes bad turn."

The way to respond, he said, is to keep working and not waste time.

"All I heard growing up is no boxers come out of Omaha," he said. "Where would I be if I listened to them? Do you think your basketball team listened to people who said they would finish second to last in their league? They believed in each other, won a conference and gave UNO its first-ever March Madness appearance."

Crawford said he never let himself become satisfied once he began collecting championship belts. He will bid to become a five-division champion when he moves up two weights to fight undisputed super middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas on Sept. 13.

"When I was coming up, I watched fighters who came before me and I saw how they got the money, the fame. They blew it all on jewelry and cars," he said. “Once I became champion, I wanted more, so I had to keep being the same person and not letting success get to my head.

"There always is going to be someone with a faster car, a bigger house, more expensive clothes. Real fulfillment comes from somewhere else. This is important. Don’t be satisfied, ever. The moment I became a world champ, I didn’t celebrate it and call it quits. I said what’s next?"

Crawford, 37, said he will continue to be a fighter long after he hangs up his boxing gloves. He said he plans to continue growing his B&B Sports Academy, his north Omaha youth center where confidence, discipline and healthy habits are taught through sports.

"There are a lot of kids growing up just like me - rough neighborhoods, no guidance, nobody to look up to," he said. "I want to be a light for them and show them what’s possible. That’s what I want. I’m challenging you all today to do the same. Remember where you come from. Remember you are a fighter."