Sometimes, it takes others longer to come to a certain realization.

Immediately after closing the chapter on his rivalry with Sergey Kovalev, Andre Ward removed his gloves, carefully took off his hand wraps, and undid his boxing trunks for the last time on the professional level. There was still a boatload of money left to be made but in terms of proving himself, Ward had basically done it all.

His on-the-whim retirement left a clear void on practically everyone’s pound-for-pound list. So who would replace him? There were a few names that vacillated that top spot. Vasiliy Lomachenko planted his flag as the world’s best fighter for a transient period. Once he was knocked off, Canelo Alvarez became the consensus best fighter in the world.

Ultimately, it was all conjecture. Although their popularity continued to rise, Ward never backed away from the notion that Terence Crawford was the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

Recently, Ward’s thoughts were validated. On July 29th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) made fellow pound-for-pound star Errol Spence Jr., look as though they were in different leagues.

Not even Ward was expecting the one-sided massacre that would soon follow. Three knockdowns, a busted nose, and two swollen eyes led Crawford to a ninth-round stoppage victory. Now, with Crawford in possession of the WBA, WBO, WBC, IBF, and Ring Magazine welterweight titles, the majority of lists have the Omaha, Nebraska, native pegged at the very top.

The recognition that Crawford is receiving is well-earned according to Ward. However, the newly inducted Hall of Famer is wondering what took everyone else so long to give him his flowers.  

“Terence Crawford is the best fighter on the planet,” said Ward on his social media account. “He been the best fighter on the planet for a long time now.”